Is ongoing self-pity a symptom of mental illness?

[ScarlettR]

So I often feel sorry for myself, for bad things that happened to me in the past (e.g. schoolyard bullies, encountering mean people, having some body issue) and I start overthinking and start to even *whine* about my "hardships" to the point where I have to let everyone know. If I do talk about it, it comes across as complaining.

The thing is, I'm kind of like a child - I sometimes don't even consider that other people have had problems, too. I feel particularly sorry for myself because, for a certain period in my young life, I had no one to hang out with and I was already awkward as it was.

I do have paranoid schizophrenia (more so in mood swings and false beliefs than actual hallucinations) and depression. Maybe because of this, sometimes it's really hard to realise that there are 7 billion people on this world and each one of them has problems or have suffered some hardship.

Again, I'm not here to complain about feeling self-pity (ironically). I hope that this topic can be discussed and explored and maybe help others who feel similar?

[quirkywords]

Hi Scarlett , Thanks for this topic.

I think most people from time to time have self pity and that is ok to acknowledge hard times. After my house and shop were destroyed by fires , I did feel sorry for myself at first .

People told me I was lucky, and I was in a way but I wanted my loss acknowledge. Maybe self pity one our way of asking people to see our pain and suffering.

[white knight]

Hi, welcome

Great post.

I think we "whine about our issues because we cannot cope.

If we break our leg we talk about it to anyone that acknowledge it, sees it etc. When it's healed no one talks about it....its unseen, it's healed.

The problem we have is we won't heal (most cases) and unlike the broken leg we'll have our MI a lifetime. No wonder coping is a problem.

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Beyondblue topic is acceptance our biggest challenge?

TonyWK