ˈstiɡmə/
noun. a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person
The next time you are walking down the hall, smile at the person walking next to you and gauge their reaction. Now guess what? You have just shattered a social stigma. Stigmas are a fact of everyday life and to be honest, there is ultimately no way around them. There is so much hurt that comes from their use, especially the use of stigmas on mental illness, and it is important to be educated on how words hurt.
In a study performed by the Canadian mental health help group Shepell, it was found that one in four people will be affected by a mental illness in some way, shape or form. Mental illness is also the leading cause of disability. So let's take a look at the two biggest mental illness stigmas, depression and anxiety.
Depression is often glorified in the media, blown up to extremes to showcase people with unkempt hair and lethargic attitudes, meant to encourage those affected to buy their antidepressant. Of course more often than not, all of these commercials end with the depressed rising from their bed, shaking off their gray clouds, and taking a walk with their partner... as if it is that easy. What these companies don't know or don't choose to acknowledge is that their commercials end up injuring the stigmatized more than they are already injured. Seeing these images of lazy, weak, unhappy human beings reinforces the idea that most already hold -- they aren't able to fix themselves. As is imaginable, it is not healthy for anyone to feel this way, but certainly not the ones whom the advertisements target (as they are already fragile).
Anxiety disorders are just as painted in commercials and television. According to Shepell's aforementioned study, 96 percent of Canadians acknowledge depression as a mental illness while only 85 percent acknowledge anxiety as such. The 11 percent difference may not sound like much, but when society still accepts it, the percentage should shout over them and encourage a change. There are many forms of anxiety disorders, and typically a majority of the population does not recognize this fact. Anxiety isn't just something that a high school or college student "gets" because of too much schoolwork or a busy social agenda. It does have an effect on someone, when the chores are piled on top of a preexisting problem. In fact, a disorder named "social phobia" was labeled by Shepell's subjects as a personal weakness. In reality, social phobia is one of the most chronic mental health disorders, in which those who possess it often have an irrational anxiety attack as a result of uncomfortable social interactions. Yet many fail to acknowledge it as a disorder, choosing instead to hurt the stigmatized even more by telling them that, essentially, what is happening to them is their fault.
Ultimately, there are only two weapons in the battle against stigmas attached to mental illness: knowledge and compassion. Displaying these two characteristics to those who are struggling with any mental illness or condition shows them that there is indeed someone who is willing to help them heal. All it takes is some time, patience and kindness.
