First off, this article is being written in response to a video posted by John Oliver.
John Oliver, like myself and many others around the world, have a huge problem with how individuals struggling with a mental health illness are viewed and treated. There is a very negative stigma surrounding individuals with mental illnesses, because they seem to consistently be associated with the deranged and insane. He uses the example of the recent Oregon school shooter, but there are a handful more of seriously ill men and women who serve as the posters for what mental illness supposedly looks like- in the United States at least.
Well, to whoever seems to be putting these associations together (*cough* the media *cough*), I've got some news for you. Mental illness has no definite shape or form. Taking into account the dozens of mental illness that affect nearly one in every four adults in this country alone, how dare you put a face on mental illness. Better yet, how could you even rationally do this?
There are words often thrown around, as Oliver mentions, that cast mental illness, and behavior that could possible indicate a mental illness, in a severely negative light. I have always had a problem with using the word "normal" to describe the behavior of someone- just because their behavior may slightly differ from what we have been taught to expect, does not mean they are meant to be outcast. Besides, what does being "normal" even mean? Another terrible word that should not be tossed around is "insane" (and also by default "crazy"). Insane persons are not those who suffer from a mental illness, no matter how severe. By definition, the word insane means seriously mentally ill, but in today's society we seem to solely associate the word with the criminally insane. I'm talking about the people who murder their entire families because of severe schizophrenia and the voices in their head. This could not further misrepresent the real meaning of the word.
The same could be said when considering depression and anxiety. Depression is most commonly associated with a sad and lonely teen sitting in their room alone, or someone just not being able to move from their bed. The truth is that depression, which is classified as a mental illness, affects approximately 14.8 million adults in the United States. So no, depression is not what you thought it was; it can be your roommate slowly caring less about her work/clubs/life in general, but it can also be in your own home. Depression is easy to miss, because its symptoms vary so greatly. Some people may be affected by depression and not realize it until months later.
Now, when someone says anxiety, we typically think of an over-worked and stressed out college kid, or that one student sitting alone in the dining hall because they're too afraid to ask to sit with someone. Exactly like depression, anxiety disorder does not have a face you can put to it. In fact, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States. Considering it affects more than 40 million adults, there is absolutely no way you can paint a clear picture as to how anxiety looks on people.
As with all mental illnesses, you cannot simply look at someone and decide what they are suffering from. Mental illnesses affect the brain, which in turn can affect the behavior of those suffering from one. This does not, however, justify using someones behavior to gauge whether or not they are mentally healthy.
I strongly urge you to take into account all that I have written and hope it changes the way you view mental illness. Together we can create a society that no longer places supposedly clear-cut labels on those Americans, and people all over the world, dealing with a mental illness.
For support for those dealing with mental illness:
http://www.adaa.org/finding-help
https://www.nami.org/Find-Support
To those of you who are currently dealing or have dealt with mental illness in the past, you are much more than your condition. (and I really can't stress thatenough)
