This morning on my way to school, I was listening to the radio. The DJ was sharing the news, and she said, "Well, Kanye has officially lost it!" This immediately got me upset. She started talking about Kanye West's situation more in depth, saying how "Kanye has gone crazy, and this happened on stage during his concert. Is this an act him and Kim made up?" As she was speaking, I was getting angrier.
For those of you who don't know the background to this story, this week Kanye West was taken on a 5150 hold in California. A 5150 is an involuntary psychiatric hold, where a qualified officer or clinician feels that if you have a severe mental disorder and you are a danger to yourself or those around you, they can admit you into a mental institution without your authorization. Every state in the U.S. has some form of this act. This happened to West while on tour for his concert. This is very serious, and professionals would not just do this to anyone; they seriously have to suspect you are at risk of self-harm or harm to others. You may recall that this happened to Amanda Bynes and Brittney Spears.
Instead of media realizing West has some serious mental illness, they make fun of him. "Kanye has officially lost his mind!", "Kanye blows up on stage.", "Is this for show?" These are some of the headlines I've seen. What they may not know about West is that he has suffered from severe depression ever since his mother passed away. He blames himself for her death and has contemplated suicide because of this. I'm sure being in the spotlight can be stressful on him too; everything he says or does is in the news, and half of the time it is misinterpreted. The stress may have gotten to him so much where he just couldn't handle it anymore.
This really strikes a chord with me as someone who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and has had bouts of depression. Why must the media make fun of mental illness? Instead of sympathizing with those who have mental breakdowns or some kind of mental disorder, we place judgments on them and stereotype them. It makes me cringe when someone describes a person with a mental disorder as "crazy" and "psycho." Or worse, calling a mental hospital as "the crazy house." Really? People with mental disorders already go through so much, saying those words doesn't help them at all.
I don't think that we offer proper education on mental illness. We do not properly educate on the many different signs of a mental disorder, in the past we just learn to sweep things under the rug; it all bottles up and then the person explodes. Society freely labels persons with mental illnesses as "crazy" or "psychotic." I think we need to learn the different signs and how to properly help those in need. Mental illness is all too common in this day of age.
With Kanye, my hope is that people will be more sympathetic towards him and his family during this time. People think that celebrities like Kanye have everything they want and more, but that isn't the case. You can have all of the money in the world, but that doesn't mean anything. You can have everything and feel like you have nothing. I truly hope Kanye gets proper care and is able overcome his feelings of depression.
If you know someone who is very stressed, anxious, depressed, etc., PLEASE do not belittle them because of this. Show care and compassion towards them. Offer help and support. There are many different options out there to help someone who has or shows signs of a mental illness. I have been in therapy for three years and am medicated for anxiety. I am not scared to tell people this. My hope is that if I am open about it, others will know it is nothing to be ashamed about for getting help. I actually think it shows you are strong that you are willing to realize you have these problems and want to get help for it. I really hope society will learn to stop stereotyping those with mental illness.
