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01-18-2016, 07:28 PM
It's not very often that we see a "positive" story regarding mental illness in the media: a story about a new, breakthrough therapy, or about a person with mental illness who leads a happy and successful life. All too often, stories with ties to mental illness are about a celebrity suicide, or about a person with severe, untreated mental illness who commits a horrible act of violence. It isn't until after a tragedy occurs that people want to voice their opinions. Unfortunately, many of these opinions lump every single mental disorder into a single category and assume that all people who live with one are unpredictable and potentially violent. And then they wonder why people with mental illness are sometimes reluctant to seek treatment... Perhaps it's because they fear being demonized and stereotyped?
That's not to say we need to sugarcoat things: There are people with mental illness who can be unpredictable and violent, and when they've expressed a desire to harm others or have committed a violent act, treatment should no longer be an option. No one should be immune from facing consequences for their actions. But what if there was a way to cut down on suicides or violent crimes before they happened? What if there was a way to cut down on the stereotypes plaguing everyone with mental illness? The question becomes: Bow do we, as a society, change the conversation about mental illness in a way that benefits everyone?
First, people need to be more careful about how they discuss mental illness, particularly in public forums. They need to avoid generalizations -- no two cases of mental illness are identical -- and using phrases such as "nutjobs" or "nutcases." Words like that are dehumanizing and do not serve to enhance the value of a comment. And suggestions to lock "them" all away? They don't exactly contribute to the conversation in a positive manner. Generalizations and name-calling do nothing but shame people who have mental illness, or scare someone who suffers from it from getting the help they need because they fear being labeled. If the point of a comment is that someone with mental illness needs to seek help, it's counterproductive to criticize them in the same sentence. The world would be a happier place if people who wanted to seek help weren't deterred from doing so because they feared being demonized.
Second, there needs to be more of a spotlight on people who live with mental illness but find ways to cope and live their lives to the fullest capacity. The point is not to shame someone who is still struggling or has not found the right treatment, nor is to glamorize life with mental illness. Life with mental illness can be miserable and feel hopeless. The point is to show that there is hope, and that many people can live very normal lives. Many people would be surprised to find out that the happy girl in their English class has lived with depression for years, or that their boss lives with anxiety, or that their bubbly friend has bipolar disorder. Mental illness does not look one certain way, and it would be great for society to see that people from all walks of life deal with it, and that there is hope.
Third, and perhaps most important, there needs to be better and more equal access to mental health care. People with mental illness need to have access to adequate care before they hit rock bottom or a crisis occurs. Fortunately, this is something that the large majority of people seem to agree upon. Mental health care comes in a variety of forms -- having access to psychiatrists or therapists, and in-patient facilities -- but regardless of the treatment a person seeks, it should be available to them. No one should have to choose between paying for anti-anxiety medicine or paying rent, or seeing a therapist or buying groceries. Mental health treatment can no longer be viewed as a luxury. There may not be a simple solution as to how to provide better access to mental health care, but as long as it stays an active part of the conversation, there's hope for change.
For some people, it takes a personal connection to mental illness to take an interest in wanting to help those who live with it. But far more concerning than people who don't take an interest are those who go out of their way to shame or criticize those who are forced to live with an illness they would never choose for themselves. There are many, many good people in this world, and their compassion should not go unnoticed. Not every person who writes or comments about mental illness does so in a malicious manner. If every person would just take a moment to think about the impact of what they say -- particularly online, where anyone and everyone could read it -- we could change the direction of the mental illness conversation and take it in a much better direction.
___________________
If you -- or someone you know -- need help, please call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/). If you are outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention (https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/) for a database of international resources.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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That's not to say we need to sugarcoat things: There are people with mental illness who can be unpredictable and violent, and when they've expressed a desire to harm others or have committed a violent act, treatment should no longer be an option. No one should be immune from facing consequences for their actions. But what if there was a way to cut down on suicides or violent crimes before they happened? What if there was a way to cut down on the stereotypes plaguing everyone with mental illness? The question becomes: Bow do we, as a society, change the conversation about mental illness in a way that benefits everyone?
First, people need to be more careful about how they discuss mental illness, particularly in public forums. They need to avoid generalizations -- no two cases of mental illness are identical -- and using phrases such as "nutjobs" or "nutcases." Words like that are dehumanizing and do not serve to enhance the value of a comment. And suggestions to lock "them" all away? They don't exactly contribute to the conversation in a positive manner. Generalizations and name-calling do nothing but shame people who have mental illness, or scare someone who suffers from it from getting the help they need because they fear being labeled. If the point of a comment is that someone with mental illness needs to seek help, it's counterproductive to criticize them in the same sentence. The world would be a happier place if people who wanted to seek help weren't deterred from doing so because they feared being demonized.
Second, there needs to be more of a spotlight on people who live with mental illness but find ways to cope and live their lives to the fullest capacity. The point is not to shame someone who is still struggling or has not found the right treatment, nor is to glamorize life with mental illness. Life with mental illness can be miserable and feel hopeless. The point is to show that there is hope, and that many people can live very normal lives. Many people would be surprised to find out that the happy girl in their English class has lived with depression for years, or that their boss lives with anxiety, or that their bubbly friend has bipolar disorder. Mental illness does not look one certain way, and it would be great for society to see that people from all walks of life deal with it, and that there is hope.
Third, and perhaps most important, there needs to be better and more equal access to mental health care. People with mental illness need to have access to adequate care before they hit rock bottom or a crisis occurs. Fortunately, this is something that the large majority of people seem to agree upon. Mental health care comes in a variety of forms -- having access to psychiatrists or therapists, and in-patient facilities -- but regardless of the treatment a person seeks, it should be available to them. No one should have to choose between paying for anti-anxiety medicine or paying rent, or seeing a therapist or buying groceries. Mental health treatment can no longer be viewed as a luxury. There may not be a simple solution as to how to provide better access to mental health care, but as long as it stays an active part of the conversation, there's hope for change.
For some people, it takes a personal connection to mental illness to take an interest in wanting to help those who live with it. But far more concerning than people who don't take an interest are those who go out of their way to shame or criticize those who are forced to live with an illness they would never choose for themselves. There are many, many good people in this world, and their compassion should not go unnoticed. Not every person who writes or comments about mental illness does so in a malicious manner. If every person would just take a moment to think about the impact of what they say -- particularly online, where anyone and everyone could read it -- we could change the direction of the mental illness conversation and take it in a much better direction.
___________________
If you -- or someone you know -- need help, please call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/). If you are outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention (https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/) for a database of international resources.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247388561840/u/0/f/677045/c/35496/s/4cf4c001/sc/3/rc/1/rc.img (http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247388561840/u/0/f/677045/c/35496/s/4cf4c001/sc/3/rc/1/rc.htm)
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