There seems to be some sort of pandemic that has arisen involving mass media and its glamorization of numerous types of mental disorders, everything from depression to bulimia. To those who struggle day in and day out with such diseases, there is nothing more exacerbating. There is so much that is misunderstood about mental illness, so much stigma, that it really is difficult to decipher what is accurate and what is fictitious. It is imperative that some light is shed on this situation, because all too often modern media promotes slews of erroneous information, mostly to adolescents and young adults.
If I could get one point across, it would be that there is nothing glamorous or appealing about any sort of mental illness. Anorexia isn't bashfully refusing a cookie to stay slim, it's obsessively starving yourself to the point where your body is malnourished, weak, and brittle. An anxiety attack isn't getting a little nervous before giving a speech; it's blacking out on public transportation, your head pounding, your entire body shaking uncontrollably, feeling like your heart is going to explode from beating so hard, and feeling everything go numb like you've lost all control of yourself. Depression isn't feeling a little down here and there. It's being physically unable to get out of bed, it's having no motivation to even shower or feed yourself, it's feeling like you're constantly in the dark with no way to turn on the light, like each day is more exhausting than the day before it, and like any sort of happiness has been permanently stripped from your world.
I could go on and on, but the point I'm trying to get across is that none of these disorders should be taken lightly. None of these should be advocated for or romanticized about. They can truly be a living hell and anyone who's experienced any sort of mental disorder knows this. Most who suffer with such things do so silently, in fear that those around them will see them as unstable or fragile and will treat them as such. A majority of sufferers are those whom you would least expect; people who are ambitious and outgoing, people who are leaders and trailblazers, people who are talented and creative, people who would watch hell freeze over before letting their illness hinder them from living their lives. Maybe that's why mental illnesses are so romanticized, because many who are truly suffering with them are not quick to let on when they're struggling. We should all keep in mind, however, that many do wrestle with these issues daily, which is why it is so important to be kind to everyone. You never know what battles they're braving each and every day just to survive.
