Approximately 8 million deaths worldwide are attributable to mental disorders each year. A study conducted by the Word Health Organization in 2015 shows that one in five Indians may suffer from depression in their lifetime, equivalent to 200 million people. With such statistics one would wonder that awareness about the same is widespread and the public is sensitive enough towards people suffering from mental health disorders. Such hopes though are in vain. Often we see people lamenting and calling themselves depressed over a professional or personal loss, or labeling themselves or others with a habit of tidying things and places up as patients sick with obsessive compulsive disorder or call themselves as bipolar because of mood swings they may have or address people with different behaviour than themselves as 'psychopaths' or refer to someone who clicks a lot of selfies as a 'narcissist'.
But do we actually understand what these terms mean? Or the implications of using such terms so casually? When we repeatedly use these medical terms casually in our everyday lives in justification of an action of ours that may not necessarily be caused or affected by the disorder, we trivialize these mental disorders. This trivialization in turn leads to an insensitive approach to people suffering from them besides many other adverse consequences.
This insensitivity and gruesome generalization of mental health issues leads to more often than not affecting the affected in adverse ways; patients do not seek out medical help in fear of the judgement of the people around them and thus keep on suffering without availing the help they require and deserve. Family members often hide other family member’s issues for the same fear.
Living with a mental illness severely deteriorates the quality of one’s life, and that is something most discussions of mental illness overlook. They tend to overlook the impact of mental illness on the sufferers and instead grossly exaggerate its effect on others. This embeds in our collective conscience that sufferers may or may not need help, but we need to be protected from them as if they would harm us. This is not only a very misplaced and baseless idea to have, it’s also incredibly detrimental to sufferers. In response to this misjudgment and misunderstanding, we ostracize the people who suffer from these disorders and keep them in isolation lest they harm us. We deny them access and freedom and keep them from approaching others.
Not only this, but this casual attitude towards serious disorders leads to a misconstrued view of what the disorder actually is. For instance, sufferers of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) do not gain pleasure from rituals. They do not have a Monica Gellar love of cleaning. The compulsions only secure momentary relief from intrusive thoughts. The obsessions are triggers target your mind, never hearing your plea for a ceasefire. For many, OCD is more debilitating than we could ever imagine. It can leave people housebound, isolated and, in some cases, cost lives.
“Coffee cups aside, my need to have balance can turn a hundred-metre stretch of paving stones into a minefield. For as long as I can remember, my feet cannot touch the lines. My legs will unnaturally stretch that little bit farther, or awkwardly shuffle in order to reach the next 'safe' slab. Balance; it can turn the most innocent of shopping trips into a constant anxiety-trip. Only yesterday, a simple knock of my left foot saw me hide in a coffee shop an hour later. From holding a shopping bag in one hand, to picking up clothes in Zara and those delightful pavements, I needed to stop. The thoughts didn't stop”
writes Sophie Harrison in an article in the Huffingpost, UK.
Not only this but we had all noticed people calling others 'psychopath' in retribution for something different that they’ve done. The dictionary defines psychopathy as traditionally a personality disorder characterised by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits . It’s not a layman term that can be used in jest when describing a friend. Neither should it be used to sell products like the trend today has become. How surprising is it that in an age of technological advancements and immaterial knowledge at our fingertips, we are using these tools to sell commodities off of other people’s sufferings.
Recently, while surfing the internet, I came across an e-commerce website that is selling products ranging from hoodies to t- shirts to jackets with catchphrases reading “cute but psycho” or “east-side, west-side, sui-side” or “I’m dead inside” or “sorry it’s my depression” or “recession is when your neighbour loses his job, depression is when you lose yours and recovery is when Obama loses his” or “stressed, depressed but well dressed” or “weaponized autism” or “it was beautifully depressing”. The number of such catchphrases are too many to fit into this article and too insensitive to mention.
Image courtesy: spreadshirt.com
Very recently even a YouTuber, Corrina Kopf was seen endorsing her merchandise where she was sporting a t-shirt that read “my anxieties have anxieties.” The intentions of the youtuber may have been good, with her promising to the people who questioned her endorsement of such products to donate a mere 15% of the earnings from her profits to charity but it doesn’t mean that doing charity in the name of trivializing mental disorders can justify the catchphrases written on her merchandise.
Image courtesy: Article | Corinna Kopf – Profiting off of Anxiety
https://mariexmidnightportfolio.wordpress.com
In conclusion, dealing with a mental illness can be excruciatingly hard, but the path to getting better doesn’t have to be a lonely one like it is now. Eliminating negative stereotypes about mental illnesses and having healthy discussions about them – and not being ignorant of them – will help sufferers. Also, if mental illnesses are no longer considered a stigma, and there is awareness about them, more people are likely to get professional help and detail their ordeal.
Mental illness can be crippling, but we can slightly minimize its effect on sufferers by normalizing mental illness, understanding their challenges, and encouraging them to get professional help. Though it will only make it slightly better for individual sufferers, our efforts as a society will still count.
Turning mental illness from a forbidden, dark subject to an non frightening set of conditions that can affect anyone, and need care and treatment, will better the lives of those who are suffering.
References and further readings:
1] Article | Corinna Kopf – Profiting off of Anxiety
3] Are we trivialising our mental health by misusing the terminology? By Madeleine Howell
I'm 15 years old. I was born with HIV my mother passed away because of the HIV infection And I regret why i never met Dr Itua he could have cured my mum for me because as a single mother it was very hard for my mother I came across Dr itua healing words online about how he cure different disease in different races diseases like HIV/Aids Herpes,Parkison,Asthma,Autism,Copd,Epilepsy,Shingles,Cold Sore,Infertility, Chronic Fatigues Syndrome,Fibromyalgia,Love Spell,Prostate Cancer,Lung Cancer,Glaucoma.,psoriasis,Cirrhosis of Liver, Cataracts,Macular degeneration, Chrons disease,Infectious mononucleosis.,Cardiovascular disease,Lung disease.Enlarged prostate,Osteoporosis.Alzheimer's disease,psoriasis,Bipolar Disorder,Dementia.,Tach Disease,Breast Cancer,Blood Cancer,Colo-Rectal Cancer,Love Spell,Chronic Diarrhea,Ataxia,Arthritis,Amyotrophic Lateral Scoliosis,Fibromyalgia,Fluoroquinolone ToxicitySyndrome Fibrodysplasia Ossificans ProgresSclerosis,Weak Erection,Breast Enlargment,Penis Enlargment,Hpv,measles, tetanus, whooping cough, tuberculosis, polio and diphtheria)Diabetes Hepatitis even Cancer I was so excited but frighten at same time because I haven't come across such thing article online then I contacted Dr Itua on Mail drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com/ . I also chat with him on what's app +2348149277967 he tells me how it works then I tell him I want to proceed I paid him so swiftly Colorado post office I receive my herbal medicine within 4/5 working days he gave me guild lines to follow and here am I living healthy again can imagine how god use men to manifest his works am I writing in all articles online to spread the god work of Dr Itua Herbal Medicine,He's a Great Man.
ReplyDelete