If somebody broke his arm and had to wear a cast, he more than likely wouldn’t be judged. Or if someone’s hair fell out because she had to go through chemotherapy, she might be regarded as a strong individual, as a survivor. But for some reason, people don’t always have the same reaction to mental illness. Despite the validity of mental illness as a real illness, there is a gag order of stigma placed over the mouths of those who suffer. It is rare that someone says aloud, “I have bipolar disorder, and I’m having a really hard time coping with everything,” the silence created by the fact that, unlike a broken arm, society often times decides that mental illness is something of a character flaw. Implications are flung about, harmful words that are all too common: attention-seeking, unstable, crazy.
There is a stigma surrounding mental health, despite the fact that nearly one quarter of adults and about 20 percent of children and adolescents have been diagnosed with at least one mental disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. One senior, Amy*, can attest to this. “Most people just pity you,” she said. “There are very few people who are accepting and understanding.”
She has been diagnosed and is currently being treated for several mental illnesses, including manic depression and a generalized anxiety disorder and while she says those close to her are accepting and caring, so many others aren’t. It’s not only her peers that dismiss her feelings; it’s the adults in her life as well. But she recognizes that “it’s just easier being friends with somebody who has a mental illness rather than somebody who has no clue.”
This seems to be the unfortunate consensus. People who aren’t personally affected by mental illness often times can’t empathize. Many people who are mentally ill fear getting help because they fear rejection, and they fear judgment. Rose, another senior, suggests that this stigma is perpetuated by a lack of education. “It makes me angry that mental health goes unnoticed, and quite frankly seems to be ignored in the schools.”
This senior is not the only one who has come to that conclusion. Since the shooting in Newtown, Conn, mental health has been a hot topic among the country’s politicians. There is not a massive movement to increase mental health education in schools, but there is at least a push to train teachers and provide funds so partnerships can be made with mental health clinics. But small steps are the key to a better and more informed future.
Lots of change, though, begins with a personal reevaluation. Looking back, Rose realizes that she spent many of her early years in a persistent depression that she now wonders if she could have alleviated had she had the proper help. Amy had similar reflections on the alternate route her mental illness could have taken if she had the resources. And if there wasn’t such a stigma on mental suffering.
The thing is, mental health isn’t just mental illness. According to Lynn Tarrant, deputy director of San Joaquin County Mental Health Services, “mental health is a state of being.” It’s something to be paid attention to and taken care of she said. Anyone can develop a mental illness, just as anyone can break their arm. “We all have mental health,” Tarrant said. Which is why educating the people is so important. It’s time to change the way society views mental illness. “People have grown to shy away from dealing with mental illness,” Amy said. “It’s not something that can be changed in a year. It’s going to take generations.”
*Names of students in this story have been changed
