Anthropology and I never had a stable relationship my first semester of college. It was a three-hour sentence to what felt like the chokey from Matilda. When our first exam rolled around, I studied for three days... and I failed. But failing this one exam felt more like I’ve failed all of college and all of life; and I had only been here for two months. I called my dad crying saying I was a failure, that I didn’t belong in school, and how I was never going to amount to anything. To any normal person, they would move on and try harder. Unfortunately, my mind doesn’t work that way.
My stomach felt as if it was battling a bad bout of the flu, which seemed plausible since dorms are equivalent to a petri dish. My breathing had an infrequent staccato. My heart pumped like I was running a marathon even though I was sitting still. What if I fail the next test? I asked myself. Nothing else made sense; no amount of rational thinking, pep talks, or tranquilizing could fix my failure. Failing was inevitable. This hour of panic felt more like a year.
I’ve noticed more frequently since anxiety became a regular part of my life how casually mental health issues appear in conversation. Let me explain:
“Wow, I about had a panic attack over that test!”
Translation: I was just really nervous.
“I’m depressed that they stopped serving green tea ice cream at the dining hall!"
Translation: This thing is really sad and I feel like my life is over even though it’s not.
“I have to clean my room every day! I’m so OCD about it!”
Translation: I occasionally adopt Danny Tanner-esque traits when I tidy my room.
“I had an ADD moment in class today...I couldn’t pay attention!”
Translation: My professor is really boring so I played Candy Crush for an hour.
“My music taste is so bipolar!”
Translation: I like a lot of things.
Sorry to anyone whose brand of humor I’m dampening, but none of these issues are meant to be used as a description for general feelings of nerves, sadness, etc.
According to mental health charity The Kim Foundation, approximately 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older are diagnosed with some form of mental disorder every year.
Well, This Is What I Think blog
In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conducted a study about the stigmas associated with mental illness. Seventy-eight percent of Americans surveyed suffering from some sort of mental health issue and 89 percent of Americans surveyed without any mental health issues agreed treatment could help persons dealing with mental illness “lead much more normal lives” (via Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System [BRFSS]).
Within that same study, 57 percent of adults believed people are caring towards mental illness. However, that is juxtaposed by the 25 percent of adults suffering from symptoms related to mental illness who believe our society is caring towards mental illness.
If genies were real and gave me three wishes, my first wish would be to just be "normal". Anxiety is a parasite that clings onto every aspect of my life. I’ve missed many an opportunity solely because anxiety made the decision for me. It’s stopped me from going to parties, rushing for a sorority, and even getting lunch because I was too scared to call and order. You know those Sour Patch Kids commercials where the candy pranks the person and ruins everything for them, but eventually gives them something better? Try living that in your daily life, but without the nice gesture at the end. I appreciate when friends try to calm me down with “It’s okay! Don’t let like a little thing like anxiety stop you from chasing your dreams!!!” ...like, thanks. I’m cured. Except I’m not; I’m just more anxious.
When mental health is affecting one in every five adults (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association, via ABC News), it’s time to start looking at mental health as a real thing. Stop telling people, “It’s all in your head.” You’re correct, it is all in their head, and better mental health education will allow people suffering from their disorder to openly express it without having to battle the stigmas.
If you know someone with a mental health problem, ask them what their boundaries are, and don’t pressure them to push past them unless they want to. Remember, mental health is a sensitive thing to the people suffering from it. And if you have a mental health problem, talk about it. It’s not embarrassing, nor is it your fault. By talking about it, you’re able to remind people of how serious it is. In turn, they will take it more seriously.
If you or someone you know might be suffering with some sort of mental health issue, please check out these resources.
http://psychcentral.com/resources/
http://www.mind.org.uk/