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As human beings, we crave perfection. Everywhere we look is a reminder to be our best selves. This idea of perfection is engraved in our brains from a young age. We see this in Barbie Dolls with their unrealistic body shape and symmetrical facial features. On social media, individuals spend hours a day looking at people who post what is only a highlight reel of their lives, and in relationships, people yearn to be that couple or friendship that everyone looks up to. People want to put out their best selves into the world physically, emotionally, and mentally and hate to admit to themselves and others that they are not always polished one hundred percent of the time. What people do not realize is how unhealthy this is to mask all these other feelings. It is okay to not be okay, in fact, it is normal. What is not normal is this need to conceal our feelings and thoughts to portray a facade of some sort. The integration and understanding of mental illnesses have come a long way from where they used to be, but improvements can and must still be made.
As human beings, we are programmed to think that if we show anything less than our perfect selves, that makes us out to be weak or lesser than others, when the reality is that a lot more people than we think are struggling mentally, and we must stop trying to run away from it and hide these things. In 2019, there were an estimated 51.5 million adults aged 18 or older with a mental illness of some sort in the United States alone (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). By getting the conversation going in regard to talking about mental health, we can work in the right direction towards breaking down stereotypes, improving relationships, aiding in recovery, and eventually taking the stigma out of something that affects each and every one of us in one way or another.
To understand mental illness, it is important to first understand some common examples that people suffer from on a day-to-day basis. Some types of mental illnesses include anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, mood disorders, and psychotic disorders. In the United States, anxiety is the top presenting concern among college students. In 2017, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that more than 18 million students were enrolled in college in the United States. According to data compiled by Statista, nearly three out of four of these students had experienced a sense of ‘overwhelming anxiety’ at some point during their schooling (‘Anxiety in College Students’, 2019). It was also found that 1.1% of adults in the U.S. live with schizophrenia, and throughout the entire world, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression. Taking this a step further, depression was found to be more common in individuals than AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined. This is an extremely alarming statistic. If left untreated, depression can lead to serious medical conditions, failed relationships, and in some cases, death. Finally, 17.1 million young people have or have had a diagnosable psychiatric disorder (Rethink, 2015). While these numbers are constantly changing, there is no denying the overwhelming statistics presented above. The positive side of these numbers is that although people may feel alone in their mental health journeys at times, it is important to recognize that no one ever is, and it can be comforting to remind oneself of this.
There are a plethora of reasons for mental illnesses. They can be caused simply due to genes and family history, life experiences such as stress, or some form of abuse. Other reasons for various mental illnesses include biological factors, brain injuries, feelings of loneliness, and drug or alcohol use (MedlinePlus, 2020). What is important to take note of is that mental illnesses are not a condition that people choose to have or not have. No one should have to feel ashamed of any mental disorder they may be diagnosed with more than any other medical condition.
The problem in the world is not mental illnesses themselves, but rather the shameful connotation surrounding them. There is such a negative stigma around all sorts of mental illnesses. Upon googling ‘words associated with mental illness’, I found myself appalled by the list of words that came up. Words such as ‘craziness’, ‘psychopathy’, and ‘derangement’ were bolded on the screen in front of me. No one wants to see these words describing something that is a part of them they may not be able to control. This negative connotation is not going anywhere if society does not work hard to reverse it. Social stigma can make mental health problems worse and stop a person from getting the help they need, which can in turn be completely detrimental to someone. Rather than using the words above, it is important to remind ourselves that people who deal with mental illnesses are ‘courageous’, ‘strong’, and ‘fighters’, who should be recognized and praised for that. We should celebrate individuals who get out of bed when everything in their body is telling them they have nothing left or people who admit to needing help because that is what takes real strength in a world that is so quick to judge. About 60 percent to 80 percent of depressed people can be treated successfully. A lot of these common mental illnesses are treatable, the hardest part for most people comes down to just getting the help.
There is so much everyone can do to work towards reducing this stigma aside from just changing our vocabulary. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five young adults is dealing with mental illness, but as many as half are struggling in silence (Jacobson, 2020). From a young age, it is important that we educate the next generation of individuals about mental illnesses and teach them ways to deal with them. If kids learn from a young age the importance of speaking out about mental health, that alone can change their lives completely. We must also hold ourselves accountable by never talking down on someone because of their mental health and being aware of our attitudes. Mental health awareness increases the chances for early intervention, which can result in a faster recovery. Finally, we must work hard to support those who may be struggling with a mental illness. Everyone will react to the support differently, so it is important to be patient and understand how they may answer a tough conversation or hard questions. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) urges individuals to ease into the conversation, gradually, and puts an emphasis on the importance of being a good listener rather than talking over the person they may be trying to offer help to. They urge people in this situation not to be sarcastic or make jokes about their condition as this can make someone feel embarrassed or enraged and lead to them shutting you out completely.
While there has been a recent shift in the stigma around mental illness and people are slowly becoming more comfortable opening up and talking about these issues amongst one another, we as a society still have a long way to go. Breaking a stigma does not happen overnight and takes a lot of time, but the result of abolishing it can go as far as changing and even saving so many precious lives.
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