We live in a time where people are no longer just locked away and called nuisances if they are not completely mentally stable. Luckily, people are not as heavily judged for going to therapy or seeking help. Therapy is not as taboo as it was only a few years ago.
But there is still a problem. Therapy is not cheap and even if it was, medications are not. Most young people cannot afford to seek help. They either do not have insurance, do not have time, or believe they will be shamed for seeking help.
Many insurances do not cover therapy as a necessary medical need. They think of it as a luxury. Some young people are lucky and have been able to stay on their parents insurance. However, some people are not that lucky and you have to be working at a job for a certain period of time before you can even qualify for insurance. What happens if you get injured or sick in that “waiting period”.
Many people that are of college age, not only work one job, but work multiple jobs just to stay afloat. I am lucky and if I am struggling, my parents will help me. However, I currently hold 4 jobs. Even if they do get a day off, they have to go to other doctors or to run errands on their days off. They work anywhere around 12 hour days at least 5 days a week. No time for the “luxury” of talk about their problems.
Though our current society is more accepting of therapy, people still get judged for it. Men are told that “they are less of a man” if they seek help or that real men do not cry. We have this warped sense of masculinity where if someone shows any emotion, they are considered feminine.
All of these factors could ultimately lead to someone’s demise. When someone feels like there is no other option than to kill themselves, there is something wrong. Then, if someone does die by their own hand, the question always arises of why did they not seek help? They did not have that option. Mental health has gotten so complex and in depth, that people do not know that they are not truly okay until it may be too late. If my sister would not have told me that I needed to seek help, I would have let my depression go undiagnosed. I was crying everyday and did not want to get out of bed but because of how society views people with mental health struggles, I thought I just had to suck it up. I mean always crying and not wanting to leave bed in a normal reaction to a break-up, isn’t it?
When someone gets on a medication that fixes their chemical imbalance in their head, they can move mountains. After getting on medication, I finally decided what I was going to do with my life.
Mental stability should not be considered a luxury. Now, let’s do something about it.
