Though Mental Health Awareness Week has long passed, this is a subject that should be talked about year round. There is undoubtedly a negative stigma associated with mental health in our country. Many people argue that people who defend mental illness are simply “hypersensitive” or are making everything into a “microagression.” While in other circumstances I do believe our society has become overly sensitized, I do not agree with this on the issue of mental health. Using a real-life example, I will demonstrate the truth to this claim.
This past Saturday, I spent my afternoon doing homework. On the way back to my south-campus dorm, I got caught in the dreaded basketball traffic. I braved the herds of fans and as we passed the Morrison residence hall, I couldn’t help but overhear an extremely ignorant conversation:
Person 1: “Someone committed suicide from there.”
Person 2: “Yeah, they just went *splat* all over the basketball court.”
If you didn’t already know about this tragic incident, a visiting student jumped from the top floor of Morrison and was rushed to the emergency room in critical condition. Unfortunately, this student did not survive.
The first and largest issue with this conversation is the insensitivity in regards to the topic. Suicide is not something that should be taken lightly. It’s not funny or amusing, especially in the context of a specific tragic occurrence on our very own campus.
Problem number two: timing and location. If you want to make jokes about mental health on your own time, be my guest. The place to do so is not in the middle of a crowd of fellow students, alumni, and even families with young children. You may have the right to freedom of speech, but saying something that will undoubtedly offend someone nearby should be limited in public.
The third problem relates back to the overarching issue with society’s perception of mental illness, and that’s insensitivity. What if someone in that crowd of people knew that boy? Or what if their close friend or family member was a victim of suicide? Did you think about how your statement would affect that person’s Saturday afternoon when you ignorantly blurted it out? No, you did not consider anyone around you, making this act insensitive. Whether it did offend/upset/anger someone or not, it is the insensitivity that makes this wrong. So mental health in society is not an issue of extreme sensitivity on one end; it is a lack of any sensitivity on the other.
So how do we as a community, as a country, come together and address this problem? It is simple, the same thing your second-grade teacher probably told you: Think before you speak. Just consider the people around you. Extend your awareness and consciousness beyond yourself to your surroundings. Be sensitive to others’ thoughts and feelings. Consider the lives and situations of every individual. After all, it is our individuality and unique circumstances that make us each human.
