The Stigmas of Mental Health

I am going to educate you a little on the basics of mental health so you can be aware of those around you-- I hope to persuade you to think before you speak, because you never know who around you is fighting the invisible battle of living with a mental health issue.

For example, I’ve been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety, both of which I take medication for. I’ve also dealt with acute PTSD after some things I went through when I was younger, and I’m on the spectrum for several Axis II Personality Disorders.

Now, there are a lot of stereotypes and stigmas surrounding mental health; I think most of us know this. Maybe there’s some kind of image that comes to mind when you think of someone with depression, maybe it’s just difficult to imagine that inevitably some of the people around you on a daily basis could be bipolar, paranoid, or schizotypal. Maybe you think, “oh but I’d know if it was something like that. Well, not necessarily. All of us, we’re people, not neatly labeled jars.

The World Health Organization states, “Misunderstanding and stigma surrounding mental ill health are widespread. Despite the existence of effective treatments for mental disorders, there is a belief that they are untreatable or that people with mental disorders are difficult, not intelligent, or incapable of making decisions. This stigma can lead to abuse, rejection and isolation and exclude people from healthcare or support. Within the health system, people are too often treated in institutions which resemble human warehouses rather than places of healing.”

The things you say have a much greater impact on those around you then you might realize. Words can hurt, but by choosing them carefully, you can help keep that invisible battle from being any harder than it already has to be. When used to describe people, words like “crazy”or “insane” can reverberate in the heads of those who struggle with their mental health. Living with these issues means constantly wondering if those around you can see it written all over your face, wondering if your friends and family secretly think of you that way, what others would say if they knew.

These issues mean that managing your mental health sometimes has to be a day-by-day or even moment-by-moment process. Hearing words like that thrown around can mess with your ability to be okay in the moment, and that difficulty can extend into the day. From there, into the week or beyond. One of the hallmarks of things like depression and anxiety is an increased difficult in keeping things in perspective and the nagging presence of self-consciousness and doubt. Even if you don’t notice these phrases from yourself or others, I assure you, the people to whom these phrases matter and effect do.

Everyone has mental health, and it's not as simple as dividing it up into "good" and "bad." In many ways, these difficulties are really an extension of what we all feel as human beings, just on a long-term level and more extreme scale. For example, people with dependent personality disorder rely heavily on a strong social support system and have a very hard time making decisions without help, and those with avoidant personality disorder crave close personal relationships but fear rejection. Do either of these things sound familiar to you? Everyone alive has numerous traits that could just as easily describe a "disorder," the main different is that for those of you with more typical, centered mental health these things are only an aspect of your life, and not a determining factor that can overwhelm you and disrupt the way you want to live.

The Dalai Lama said, “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” That’s very true. Let’s work together to ensure that the effects are positive, not negative. Think before you speak. Spread positive change.