By Nancy Virden (c)2026 AlwaysTheFight.com
It is said that students of psychology come away from classes believing they have the worst kind of mental illness – a condition I call IATMU or “I am totally messed up!” That is because each of us have traits of all kinds of personality and mental disorders.
As humans, we have a broad range of common needs including love, acceptance, validation and a sense of value. How we strive to get those needs met is also riddled with similarities. Some personality, relational, behavioral, and thought process complexities stray from what mentally healthy people experience and cannot be so simply dismissed. These are often termed “disorders”, extreme or dysfunctional ways of coping with life.
Disorders tend to earn more specific labels for the sole purpose of identifying commonalities and thus guiding mental health professionals in assessment and treatment. Labels serve only as professional guidelines, not as identifying markers of a person’s value, potential, purpose, intelligence, or ability to overcome. No one is a diagnosis.
One young college student I met believed he had to be perfect. He had become obsessive, carried two majors and a minor, excelling in each. He had also attempted suicide a few times. His thinking and behavior negatively affected significant aspects of his life. A diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder helped doctors understand how to help him, and he also learned how to help himself.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is most commonly aligned with veterans returning from war. It has also been attributed to other traumas. Complex Post Traumatic Syndrome (C-PTSD) better explains a grouping of symptoms unique to children and adults who endure prolonged, repeated abuse. This example shows that labels cannot tell a complete story.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a mental disorder, see it as a stepping stone to wellness. If you put in the work and follow treatment plans, you will discover what may be wrong and can face the issues with encouragement and hope.
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-COMMENTS WELCOME
Today’s Helpful Word
Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.
If you are feeling suicidal or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S., call 988, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.
If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room; in the EU, call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here.) Hope and help are yours!
Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair.
NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional and speaks only from personal experience and observations. This website is not intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.
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