Nearly one in five adults suffer from mental illness.
That's about 42.5 million different individuals who suffer from Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, OCD, etc., on a daily basis. They deal with the intense emotions and mental drain of their illness, hour to hour, moment to moment. While there is still much stigma surrounding mental illness as to whether it is actually considered an illness, there is the even scarier thought that it has become something romanticized throughout our generation.
In 2015, there was uproar over a sweater Target released with the words "OCD: Obsessive Christmas Disorder" on it. Many customers felt that the sweater mocked Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, ultimately trivializing a mental illness that effects the lives of 3.3 million Americans. Unfortunately, Target did not agree, and simply issued an apology while keeping the offensive sweater on its racks.
There are no numbers regarding what percentage of people claim to have mental illness but don't. While I would never say that it is okay to question individuals who say they have mental illness, I do wonder what intention these individuals have. As someone who has suffered from severe anxiety since I was a child, I have met so many people who in conversation will say they have anxiety/depression but no doctor's diagnoses backing it up. I do understand that having anxious moments is something that everyone faces. But it should be known that this is very different from diagnosed anxiety disorders. Similarly to those who say they suffer from OCD when they simply just like to stay organized. There is a distinct difference, and anyone with a diagnosed mental illness will tell you that it is not something you ever want to have. It makes day to day operations difficult on so many levels, and to claim you have it when you don't perpetuates an unhealthy trend.
Having anxiety/depression is now a tool to create an alluring appearance. For some reason, having this disorder has become a source of interest in conversations. It creates a perceived mysterious personality trait, rather than being viewed as an illness. No one would say they have cancer as a way to seem interesting (though if they did they should be seeking counseling) or claim asthma when they don't have it. So why has it become okay for mental illness to be used as a way to seem more interesting or change your aesthetic?
Websites like Tumblr and Instagram have become the breeding grounds for images and text that chalk up these illnesses to be something they are not. They have made it so it is okay to share images of anorexic individuals, tagging them #thinspo. It has made it so it is okay to share images of cut wrists tagging them #depressed. It has made it so it is okay to say that you're 'triggered' as a joke.This needs to stop.
Mental illness does not make you different from other people. It is not mysterious. It is not cute. It is a real illness that effects the lives of thousands of people on a day to day basis. It is their real and scary reality. Consider this the next time you decide to use 'depressed' to describe your current sadness, or 'OCD' to describe your love for organization.
Rather than using medical terms to describe your feelings why not try and support and encourage those in your life that have real diagnosable mental illness. Offer your love and undivided attention to them while they vent or share their story. Research and find ways that you can be part of their support system when they face difficult times.
If we hope to change the way society views mental illness, we have to start at the roots and change the way we talk and present it to the world.
