Today's society is constantly progressing. We're seeing more and more people speak for the rights of minorities like the LGBT+ community and seeing more support for interest groups like Black Lives Matter (BLM). These progressions are great — it's beautiful to see society moving from an ideology of supremacy to one of inclusion. However, American society seems to carry one stereotype strongly. Misconceptions and dangerous stigmas around mental health have been around for decades. These ideologies started on a more dangerous scale in early history but have progressed to more mild versions of themselves.

The issue with society in its contemporary moment is that it views mental health illnesses and bodily illnesses differently. For example, we look at someone with depression as weak or maybe even feel sad for them. However, society wouldn't view someone with the flu as weak or give them overwhelming amounts of empathy. The flu is a simple illness, and so are mental disorders.

Mental disorders are much more than a weakness in someone's brain. Sure, they may have a chemical imbalance in their brain, but it does not make them weak. If anything, mental disorders can craft some of the strongest people. Battling with a mental disorder is a draining task. Simple everyday routines are affected because you can't think properly. You're mentally sick — not weak or unable. There are treatments for mental disorders just like there are for the flu. Sure, pills don't fix it right away, but with therapy and medication, a patient can start to regulate the symptoms and make life more manageable.

The moral of the story is that mental disorders do not make people different. In the media, mental disorders can be used to deem someone dangerous, and it can come to that if one does not attempt to manage their illness. There is no difference between being mentally sick and physically sick: it's time the world comes to realize that.