For me coming from a family that's genetically predisposed to it about 1 guaranteed suicide a generation. Combined with getting thrown into foster care abused in mentally physically and sexually. As well as just absolutely zero wins anywhere in life get a scholarship funding falls through get a girlfriend she cheats get new car it gets sideswiped. For living in a first world country my life has not been alot of positive things. Then after all that fun fun life a I made the sweet life decision to join military and fucked me up some more.
So it does make my blood boil when people downplay mental health stuff or think they know about it because they have some anxiety "and they can deal".
Till you put a gun in your mouth and seen how far you can squeeze the trigger without it going off. And only stopping not from a desire to live but out of fear of inconveniencing others.
Hell when it got to worst point for me I planned it to be least inconvenient for anyone suicide. Step one move slowly reduce communication with family. Save up pack everything into storage send will to family. Pay off remainder of lease rent a hotel room. Make note for bathroom door so maid wont have to discover body both in english and spanish just in case. Then fill tub and start chugging alcohol and slowly replacing water with ice. Alcohol would pull heat away from core ice would sap heat would slip into hypothermia and die. The maid would call authoritys and there would be no gore for them. If I shit myself they could drain tub and run shower.
Seriously though there is fucking levels and people think because they have "anxiety" or some "depression" they know all about it. When it would be like someone that dipped pinky toe once in lake claimed they knew about being stranded in the ocean. When reality is they have no idea whats its like to get violently pulled under repeatedly by waves ect with no idea which direction land is in for hours even days.
As for using it for excuse honestly most people I know don't because they get met with skepticism exasperated sighs ect. Fact is alot of jobs in America actually penalize you make you afraid to get help. I know when I was in military and realized there was a problem. I was afraid there was a ton of stigma and it definitely hurt career some even got discharged. For going to therapy even ones that didn't still ended up being restricted from getting promotions or certain security clearances ect.
Most Americans actually don't believe in most forms of mental health treatment seriously more than half don't believe in therapy or medication. Most can't access it and there is very little help in that dept. At my peak worst state I couldn't function to point where I couldn't recall if I ate that week. Let alone to the point where I had thousands I could throw at treatment. And I couldn't find anything I truly wanted to fix it. Hell even met a few winners like yourself that confused being sad or there mild anxiety as the same thing. Telling other to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" and fix it because its just that easy. Meanwhile there are people that make every day a attempt to be better meds therapy social/charity exercise everything. That still succumb to big waves of depression.