Mental illness doesn't have to come with lifelong stigma
As if suffering from a mental illness isn't enough, you also have to cope with all of the negative sterotypes and derogatory terms people cling to.
When a mental illness is well managed, and (usually) medicated correctly people in a modern society can lead a pretty normal life. However, once you have been diagnosed with any mental disorder you are immediately labelled by people as well. Suppose you are fortunate enough not to have any mental health issues then imagine struggling with an often undiagnosed ailment while also being seen as unstable and even dangerous. The reality is that people with mental illnesses are the ones who are usually vulnerable and at risk from society.
Building bridges through mental health
I think it’s important that people with mental illnesses build bridges with the community regarding what they go through. However, people have to realise that for many, because of the stigma involved, it is impossible to reveal publicly that they are or have struggled with their mental health.
Thankfully, there has been great progress when it comes to the language used around mental health. People even understand that anxiety and depression are a very common human condition. The problem remains with the less approachable mental illnesses. My own (bipolar) doesn’t come with much good publicity either. Kanye West is bipolar, I don’t really need to say anymore than that.
I think the problem is that mental illnesses are judged according to symptoms that may not dominate someone’s life. Even if people are symptomatic it is important to remember it is the illness, not the person. That’s hard to remember when some mental illness symptoms can be so extreme.
Why so crazy?
What can be difficult in day-to-day life is the use of mental illnesses as derogatory labels. The weather is so bipolar. They went full schizo. They’re crazy. Just like terms such as “retard” has fallen out of favour, hopefully, these will too.
If I’m being honest though, all of the stigma and derogatory terms are nothing compared to the state of the mental health system. At least here in Australia. I just had to reschedule a mental health-related appointment (because I made it 12 months ago). The soonest I could reschedule for is 3 months from now.
Of course, there are emergency mental health services people can access… but… if you’ve ever accessed them you would know they are severely lacking in resources. If we are to overcome the stigma that comes with mental illness we must first fix the healthcare system.
It is in these broken healthcare systems that most people with mental illnesses can learn that they are not important. They are something to be hidden away. Mental illness (still) is something to be hidden away. It’s not something you announce to the world (unless you’re writing about it).
Thank you for reading my post on mental illness. If you or your loved one suffers from mental illness, what are some of the challenging stigmas you’ve had to deal with?