I never really thought much about mental illnesses. No one in my family was affected by a mental disease, and I knew very few people who had a mental illness. It wasn't until recently, after taking a Psychology class geared towards abnormal behavior and mental illness, that I became very interested in the topic.
There is a prejudice associated with mental illness. Many people are aware that the bias associated with the mentally ill causes an extremely negative image of them. Throughout the years, people come to view these individuals as just that: socially unacceptable. Well, I believe that it's unacceptable for people to keep thinking in that manner.
Lately, this topic has really began to spark interest. Many images found on Twitter and other social media websites compare physical to mental illnesses to show how unfairly one-sided society is. The pictures depict the judgment associated with treating a mental illness, and they aren't treated as justly as physical illnesses. Here's an example of an image comparing the two:
Many other images depict people with serious physical injuries being treated as if it were a mental illness. One memorable example is an image of someone with their hand literally cut off, with someone else telling them "You just need to change your frame of mind. Then you'll feel better." This is a clear jab if aimed at someone who has a mood disorder. People seem to be under the impression that if you're not physically bleeding or maimed, then you're fine. They don't see the things under the surface, which are killing people inside. Living with a mental illness is not something to be taken lightly or treated like it's unimportant.
What's sad is that, should I wake tomorrow with a mental illness, it may affect the way others treat me. I could be shunned, lose my friends or family, and have difficulty finding a job. However, If I woke up tomorrow with cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, I would be surrounded by love, support, and positive attitudes for my recovery or my ability to live a full life, despite my illness.
The prejudice attached to mental illness is the main obstacle to better mental health care and better quality of life for those with the illnesses, their families, and their communities. People with certain mental illnesses are viewed as dangerous, incompetent, and lazy. Society has this firm belief that every individual with some sort of mental disease is this way.
I'm not sure if the prejudice associated with mental illness will ever be completely diminished, but there are ways it can be reduced. A good start is for people to become educated about the varieties of mental illness and what they entail. Maybe then they'll understand how genuinely important it is to care equally for an individual with a disease, whether it is physical or mental.
