Why is mental health still a taboo?
Mental Health - The oldest taboo. The anorexic daughters secret, the ashamed mothers embarrassment, the distant fathers silence, the confused and upset sister, the angry brother. Everyone is affected, and each in their own individual way, regardless of what the mental illness is; be it anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, the diagnosis doesn't matter so much in this context because regardless of the label everyone is hurting just the same, or maybe hurting isn't the right word, maybe I should say frustrated, angry, confused, ashamed. Maybe that's what makes mental health so bad, the fact that it's not only the diagnosed that's affected but almost everyone who comes into contact with them too, or maybe it not. Maybe it's the fact that you're given a diagnosis but not told what the diagnosis means, maybe it's the fact that it's an 'invisible illness' so you're left feeling like you have to justify yourself, or maybe it's the fact 'average adolescents' have had enough of being average and have begun to feel the need to glamorise these life changing illnesses in order to make themselves feel more interesting or more of a 'special snowflake.' Whatever it is that's making mental illness remain a taboo needs to be rid of but that's not going to happen until we start speaking up and educating each other. I often come across people who like too place the mentally ill into one of two categories; The crazy kind that need to be locked up and if they show a single emotion then it's because they're 'off their meds' or The adolescent cute, skinny, shy girl trying to blend into the crowd, wearing long sleeves in summer or nibbling slowly on a piece of apple. This kind of categorising and discrimination only adds to people's fear and need to keep silent. I mean don't get me wrong, I understand that some people with mental illnesses are driven to murder, suicide, self harm but this doesn't make them 'crazy' it simply means they were forced into silence by other people's ignorance and as a result didn't receive the help and treatment (be that therapy or medication) that they needed.
Now you might be asking yourself, 'but Chelsea, how are we meant to make mental illness more of an easy topic and less of a taboo?' Well to be completely honest with you.. I don't know yet, but I do know that there is no single person who can make this happen. It's down to all of us, the one's suffering, friends and family of the one's suffering, their teachers, their peers, and ESPECIALLY the ignorant people. It's all well and good getting the ones who already understand and accept mental illness as a reality to speak openly but until we get the ignorant, ashamed, disbelievers to start speaking about the topic it will remain a taboo. Now there are a few things you can do to lay some stepping stones in the right direction and at the end of this article are a few that I've come across that have actually worked for me so far, feel free to add some of your own in the comments.
Before you go I just want to thank you for taking the right first step, reading this article is already showing willingness to learn more about the illnesses that effect 1 in 5 people daily. I might not have all the answers but I do have a few ideas on how to lay some more bricks on the road towards making this an open topic and I hope you can contribute some of your own as well.
5 ways to make mental illness less of a taboo
Share posts like this one all over social media. People often feel more comfortable from their own homes and behind their computer screens in private so this is a great way to start exposing them to the topic. This is a quick 2 second thing you can do from your own home that I promise you does have the power to make a HUGE difference. Exposure is important.
If you're a creative person make YouTube videos about the topic, write Facebook posts, make short movies, start your own blog, draw some pictures that resemble your illness and share them on social media. Instead of just sharing actually be the creator.
Have the conversation with close friends and family. Don't debate, rather just have an open general discussion, discover what your views are as well as what other peoples might be. Put on a documentary to watch together and talk about your views on what's happening.
Have the conversation with peers and strangers. Start a debate on the topic, be this in class, online - wherever. A debate allows people to be completely honest about their opinion and gives you the chance to change their way of thinking. A controlled environment classroom setting will probably be the most effective.
If you can't educate someone, if they're simply refusing to view things in a different way try not to give up! but if they're negatively effecting your own mental illness then stay away!! Some people have been brought up thinking a certain way and it will be near impossible to change that. Although making mental illness an open conversation IS important, your own mental health comes first and it's not worth putting yourself at risk.
DISCLAIMER: Information above is not fact checked, I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as if they were from a professional. All information provided is either something I have been told by a doctor, physiatrist or counsellor and was relevant to my own experience at the time (but may not be useful/ relevant for your own unique experience) or was something I noticed first hand from my own journey or someone noticed first hand and told me about their journey with similar issues. No information provided should be taken in replace of seeing a doctor.
Remember to drop your opinions on the matter in the comments below and follow me in order to stay updated with new posts so we can continue to fight the stigma surrounding mental illness together!! Share to raise awareness. <3
