A man clad in black, pacing contemplatively along the side of a tall bridge. A woman sitting in the gutter in the midst of an impassioned argument with voices only she can hear. A disgruntled employee loading a shotgun in the stall of his office bathroom, counting the others in the building. One out of every five people on this planet struggles with mental illness to some degree, and yet these are the images we have been taught to conjure when facing the concept. This toxic attitude of stereotyping and jumping to conclusions can keep the suffering among us from pursuing the help they need, thus denying progress towards recovery and continuing this vicious circle. Were mental illness to be destigmatized in society, those who now try to manage it alone would be able to receive the support they deserve without facing the judgement and punishment that often go hand in hand with admitting to neurodivergence. I believe that, in today’s world, mental illness is sold to be either a joke or a threat, and that demeaning it in this way prohibits those who have it to get the treatment that they need, whereas if it were taken seriously and treated as normally as any other malady, society as a whole would do nothing but become stronger.
To many, the era of discrimination against the mentally ill is a matter of history and not current events; however, those of us on the inside know that this could not be further from the truth. Admittedly, the current society has largely moved on from burning their strange neighbors at the stake or pumping electricity into the brains of their local misfit. Instead, mental illness is treated as a joke in media and, in real life, a coin flip between death threat and shameful secret. Movies and television treat their designated crazy characters with utter disregard for the reality of their situations. Hearing voices, being depressed, having anxiety, these are all common punchlines to jokes that truly did not need to be made at all. With media being the immensely weighty cultural influence that it is, the message it imparts to the neurotypical is to not take the mentally ill seriously, and most viewers tend to simply pick up this theme and run with it.
Meanwhile, neurodivergent viewers are taught to be ashamed and secretive about their pain. Those who attempt to be open about their struggles in real life are almost solely met with one of two responses. The first is to lock them away and hospitalize them under the claim of their own good. While medical facilities are a crucial resource to have, requiring what can essentially be incarceration the moment a minor so much as suggests a wavering will to live does not make them feel protected or supported, but muted, and as though voicing their concerns will surely have their life taken away. Their second option is not much better. Rather than being taken too seriously, the other demographic of mentally ill individuals is not taken seriously enough. They are often shamed and ridiculed for their struggles, not supported or cared for.
The same mantra is heard far too often: it’s all in your head. While this is not untrue, it does not make it any less real. Brain hemorrhaging is all in your head. A broken knee is all in the leg. A cut across the chest is only skin-deep. Regardless, mental illness is treated as a weakness or a poor decision, resulting in the trite and overused advice to choose happiness, try yoga, and drink more water. Medication for mental illness is generally frowned upon; however, it simply assists the body to perform its natural functions, no different than medication for cancer or pain would do. Mental illness is held to an unfounded double standard, largely supported through the media and a general lack of information to the public. All it serves to do is, instead of help those struggling with these difficult conditions, shut them up and ignore the problem.
With so many environmental influences reinforcing the concept that mental illness is a shameful and scary thing to only be joked about and never mentioned otherwise, it’s really not surprising that those struggling with it very rarely speak out. Admitting openly to struggling with a mental illness can be a terrifying concept. Family might be disappointed, friends might not get it, teachers and supervisors may brush it off and not understand or care enough to try. Mentally ill youth face a particular roadblock here, as they lack medical independence. In order for them to get any form of treatment, medicinal or otherwise, they need to go through their parents or guardians, which first requires confessing their pain. While in reality telling someone that one has, for example, chronic depression should be no different than admitting to chronic migraines, the overwhelming possibility of a response that simply dismisses the problem and chastises one for bringing up such a silly thing is weighty enough that it stops most attempts before they start. As a result, medication can’t be received, therapy can’t be sought out, support systems can’t be made in full, and even the slightest of circumstantial requirements can’t be met. Regardless of the fact that there are a plethora of things that could help those suffering from mental illness readily available at minimal cost, the fear of what could come of asking for assistance denies any such hopes.
Without the ever-present stigma of mental illness looming over the heads of those struggling, incredible strides could be made towards recovery, both on an individual and a societal scale. If there was nothing to be afraid of in disclosing the details of your mental health to your family and friends, support systems could be made to provide help and love in ways those suffering often do not even know they are missing. Furthermore, the ability to be open about such things in academic and professional environments could help to ensure success, guarantee that the necessary tools are provided, and improve the general experience for both those suffering from mental illness and those they are working with. Treatment options such as therapy or medication would be easier to access without the fear of being associated with these things or having to ask for them, but the changes to these fields would go even deeper.
With mental illness no longer being just a hushed secret or a subject of derision, it would likely be the topic of more studies and experiments. Staggering advances could be made in treatments, medications, and even therapeutic methods if the area were more accepted and accessible. The world we live in today rejects those struggling with mental illness in a way that isolates them, sweeping their problems under the metaphorical rug so that they and they alone have to deal with them. If society were to instead come together in the hopes of improving the lives of those in pain, their burdens would be eased and their lives improved at no cost to those who currently live in ignorance of how severely others are being impacted each and every day.
The world that exists today treats those who suffer from mental illness as pitiful misfits, not as real people with real problems. This mindset prevents those who need help from obtaining it easily, although even just the slightest paradigm shift would immensely improve the quality of life for those who need it. The average person has a series of misconceptions about what mental illness is, and the voices of those speaking up for the truth of it are oft overshadowed by inaccurate and irresponsible portrayals in the media. This promotes a culture of ignorance and shame that adds a series of hurdles between those suffering and the resources they need, and these roadblocks are often all it takes to entirely discourage any attempts at all. If all this were to be combated, misconceptions corrected, education promoted, resources established, and those in pain supported, society would become an immensely healthier and safer place for all of its members. Ignoring the pain in so much of the world is tantamount to ignoring that part of the population entirely, and no society can truly be considered successful or worthwhile when so much of it is restricted to the shadow.