Mental illness is not recognized as it should be; it is a problem to be addressed, but is often shoved under the bed and abandoned like a seven-year-old’s Rubik's Cube. No child, student, or grandparent who is in the right state of mind would deride another for having a physical disability or illness. These are acknowledged as serious conditions, meanwhile a day never goes by where I don’t hear an offhand comment about a mental illness.
“She’s crazy!”
“He got so frustrated today, he must be bipolar.”
“She never comes out of her room, it’s so weird.”
“Yeah, she’s so antisocial! She should get out more.”
Everybody does it and never gives it a second thought. These “harmless” descriptors aren’t understood as actual disorders with substantial effect and concern. It seems as though everyone is classified with a mental illness nowadays, whether it’s actually present or not.
Mental illnesses are not only trivialized, but also under-diagnosed and under-treated. But why? Why is it that we as a society grieve when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer or is suffering from epilepsy, but not when they are determined to have bipolar disorder or are enduring social anxiety? Each and every one of these diagnoses are serious and even threatening to one's life. They shouldn’t be dismissed.
I absolutely cannot speak for everyone, so I won’t try to—but by my observations, it seems logical to say that adolescents are those most often denied respect or recognition for their illnesses.
Conclusions are made simply based on someone’s age and even gender. Bystanders have a whole collection of excuses being made for other people. The most common conceptions seem to adhere to the following:
- Their hormones cause mood swings, it’s normal for them to behave in this way!
- They take everything too seriously—when they are older, they will realize it’s not that big of a deal.
- They are being dramatic.
- They are diagnosing themselves, but they’re just stressed right now.
- They are still young, what do they have to be upset about?
- They are just making excuses to be lazy and antisocial.
And the list goes on...
It’s unfair to say the least.
It’s true, you cannot see a mental disorder. You can, however, see the toll it takes. You can see the bags under another's eyes, you can see the skin on their bones thinning out, you can see how they avoid social gatherings. Sometimes it goes by another name and sometimes it goes completely invalidated as a problem.
You cannot always convince someone that their life is worth living. You cannot always instill happiness into their being. You cannot always get someone to eat a proper meal. The most important thing that anyone can do is recognize mental illness as a real and serious illness. It is not just a phase. This is someone’s life. Never take someone’s well-being for granted.
