In 1990 Congress declared the first week in October, this year falling on the 4th to the 11th, to be National Mental Health Awareness Week. This was a big game changer for the nation because it was the first step in eliminating the stigma attached to all mental illnesses. This stigma was a mark of disgrace that stereotyped people who had any kind of mental illness into a group, which had a negative connotation attached, causing discrimination and negative actions against them.
Experiencing this stigma is hurtful and harmful to all persons with a mental illness. Just knowing the stigma exists in the world can have a huge negative impact on someone who is suffering. After experiencing or even just hearing about this stigma, people with mental illness can be to feel ashamed of their illness and themselves for having it along with blaming themselves for something that is well out of their control. These people then tend to hide away their illness and symptoms of their illness rather than seeking the help and support that they need. This can cause them to isolate themselves and feel as if they are standing on the outside of society. All of these negative outcomes of this stigma can be detrimental to those with mental illnesses.
As I said before, this stigma can cause those with a mental illness to hide away their symptoms, but they want to get better just as much as you do when you have the flu. A mental illness is not something people can “just snap out of” or something that they are in control of; and for the most people, the fact that the illness is so out of their control can be the worst and scariest part of the entire disease. Yes, that’s right, I said disease. A mental illness, whether it is depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc., is a disease and deserved to be treated like one. I’m sure most of you have seen the cartoons circulating comparing what it would like if we treated physical illnesses the same way we treat mental illnesses, and if not, I'll put a few in here.
There is still a huge gap to close between the public and their comfort levels when it comes to talking to about mental illness, whether it is their own or someone else’s. We have a lot of steps to take before we can fix the mental illness crisis going on in the world, but how can we even think about fixing something if the only time we can talk about it is when there’s a mass shooting or some other horrible crime done by someone with a mental illness? There are so many people out there with a mental illness who are not getting the help and attention they need because they aren’t part of a news worthy event, so everyone around them is too uncomfortable to talk about it with them. Due to the fact that this is the only time mental illness seems to be publicly addressed, it is making the statement that it is not the mental illness that even matters but rather all the people whom do not have the mental illness that were affected. This stigma against mental illness needs to stop, and it needs to stop now. These people need and deserve at least the right to talk about their problems comfortably without the feeling of being judged.
Mental illness awareness week is a symbol of hope for those with a mental illness. It gives them hope that there are people out there who want to help them and that they are not alone in the fight. Personally, it gives me hope that one-day society won't need this awareness week to step outside of their comfort zone and be aware; but rather it will just be second nature. With this week we are taking huge steps in the right direction, but it only works when everyone is taking the step together. So grab a friend, family member, neighbor, classmate, or anyone else you can think of and take the step to stop the stigma against mental illness.
