I think we may be too quick to label mental illness as being lazy or as an excuse. It is difficult, if you have a physical ailment you expect to be treated and taken seriously, yet those who are tortured by mental illness are labeled as lazy.
I was diagnosed with clinical depression and ADD. I know about labels, I grew up and believed those labels for many years, and I was harder on myself than others were. Those who do not suffer with it could never understand what you are going through. The first step you must take is you must be nice to yourself. You are not allowed to put yourself down in any way. Jesus never once put Himself down.
I can tell you now, I praise God so much for my ADD and depression! It made me seek Him, it made me find answers from His Word. Run to Him, He is the only one who can judge you, because He is the only one who knows what you are going through.
I used to see a therapist. He said he was a Christian, but his idea of Christian and mine were two different things. He never prayed with me, or talked about Jesus. I have this strange thing I think I have to do, and that is to try to make everybody think they are good. So for the first 5 or 6 times I saw him, I told him what a great job he was doing and how much better I felt because he was helping me so much. Then the last time I saw him, I had a "breakthrough" and started crying and telling him how sad I was. I had a hard time looking at him because I was so ashamed, but when I finally did... I saw that he had fallen asleep.
He was interested in me when we were talking about what a good job he was doing, but when he found out I was just a sad, broken person like everyone else he was bored.
I have found the very best therapist in the whole universe to be Jesus! I meet with Him almost everyday, and ever day He listens and makes suggestions. I can't tell you how much different the person I am today from the sad person I was fifteen years ago when I was going to therapy.
Because I have ADD, I found it was too hard to pray, my mind wanders too much, so God "suggested" (when I say suggested, I mean he brought it to mind and then verified it with Scripture) that I journal my prayers. I have fifteen years of journals. When I read back through them I am amazed at how far God has brought me.
Run to Him, He loves you!
Love, Kelli