From the beginning of time, there has been a stigma surrounding mental illness, and so many people don’t seem to have a problem with it. Why can people openly talk about how they broke their neck while going down the black diamond ski trail in Colorado, but telling someone that they are depressed is unheard of? Mental health is just as important as physical health, and we should start talking about it.
1. It's not a trend.
Almost every day, I hear phrases that downplay the real effects of mental illness.
When the McDonalds shuts off the ice cream machine, and the friend in the passenger seat says, “Ugh, I’m so depressed.”
When a girl's boyfriend says he wants to go to Florida for spring break instead of that Royal Caribbean Cruise, and she says, “You’re literally bipolar.”
When you’re worried about the score of the football game and announce, “Oh my gosh, this game is giving me such anxiety.”
The thing is, all of these diseases you are using as adjectives are so offensive to those who actually work day to day to overcome and not feel the wrath of them. If you have experienced depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, or any other diseases directly or even indirectly, you would understand the words that you say to sound passionate about something are battles fought by many people. By saying you “are” one of these things, you’re making it a trend. You are actively making it OK for others to say the same things.
My suggestion? There are some other options for words you can use, like sad, nervous, worried, indecisive, gloomy, apprehensive, hesitant, or unhappy.
2. We are all fighting something.
Big or small, we all fight with something mentally; it’s normal, you are normal. Whether it is depression, anxiety, a stress in the family, or a fight with a friend, all of these relate to your mental health and well-being. “You’re not alone” isn’t enough. It’s something you have to assure yourself of during every up and down.
3. Asking for help is a sign of strength.
The other day while in the doctor’s office, I saw a disheveled sign encouraging men to seek therapy if they feel symptoms of mental illness. I thought it was weird, why just men? So I looked into it, and being the overly curious person I am, I found that nine percent of men in the U.S. deal with anxiety and depression every day, while only 41 percent of those men seek treatment for it. This is significantly lower compared to women due to yet another stigma in our culture; that tough men don’t need to ask for help, they can do it on their own.
Guys (and girls, too), you have to ask for help sometimes. That’s just life, and there is absolutely no weakness in that. Walking into a clinic to change your life takes so much strength. Whether your problems seem big or small, someone is waiting to help you, but you have to make the first step. You deserve to do that for yourself.
By encouraging others to walk through those doors and make a change, you are helping to end the severely annoying ideal that you are a lesser person for asking for guidance. Mental health is important, and I won’t stop saying it. We have to help each other out. It can be as simple as saying, “Maybe it would be a good idea to talk to someone about it,” or telling someone about your positive experience with a therapist. Be human, be vulnerable, and make your mental health a priority.
Life teaches us that we can do things on our own—things like, "Don’t ask the Target employee where the lamps are"; "Don’t ask a question in front of the whole math class"; and "Don’t make yourself seem dependent." But I’m begging you to start asking questions and to be OK with it.
