The loneliness of someone with a mental illness isn’t just being alone. It’s feeling disconnected even when surrounded by people. It’s noticing that conversations move at a pace you can’t keep up with, that the emotions you express don’t quite fit with those around you. It’s not the absence of company, but the absence of understanding.

You try to explain what you feel, but words fall short. People listen, but they don’t understand. They tell you to go out more, to think positive, that it’s all in your head. And that’s the problem. It is in your head, but that doesn’t make it any less real.