Looking around, it is so easy to see the prevalence of mental illness. From minor to severe anxiety, or minor to severe depression, almost everyone I have come to know has experienced at least one symptom of a mental illness. Stress, sadness, lack of motivation, panic attacks, etc. These things have become so familiar to so many individuals.
Going into statistics, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. alone experience mental illness in a given year. Similarly, 1 in 5 youth between the ages of 13-18 will experience a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. This is alarming, isn't it? If most people around us are experiencing emotional hurt to a tremendous extent, why aren't we talking about it? Why aren't we familiarizing ourselves with its impact? Why aren't we trying to bring awareness to the subject in order to try and make it better?
The answer would be the stigma surrounding mental health. The stigma that keeps telling us that mental illness makes us weak. That it means we aren't normal and it means getting help is only for "crazy people." In this day and age, it is so normalized to just repress our emotions and feelings and put on a brave face or a fake smile. We are constantly told to "just be happy," or "just stop worrying," or "it's not a big deal, you're fine!" But it is completely normal to feel the way we do. In fact, at least one in five people in the U.S. feel these things, so why are we even ignoring it anymore?
When society continuously pushes mental health down and wants to tuck it away and ignore its existence, we are telling everyone who may be dealing with the symptoms to not get help. This leads to severe consequences in the long run. Why do we think that a physical injury is different and so much more important than an emotional one? When an individual breaks a bone, they are told to go to the doctor, get an x-ray, and wear a cast in order for it to get better. Why do we act like going to therapy to treat our anxiety disorder is any different than that? When we are extremely sick with an illness such as chickenpox, we take the necessary medicine in order to recover. Why do we act like taking medication for a mental illness for something like severe depression is not the same concept?
When we start to realize that it is OK to not be OK and seeking help for our issues makes us strong, we are already giving the stigma a run for its money.
The most important thing we can do is talk about something that is honestly completely normal. I am not ashamed to say that I am currently dealing with clinical depression and generalized anxiety. I was hesitant to get help at first because of what everyone around me was saying about mental health. I have come to realize that dealing with these things does not make me abnormal, but rather gives me a different outlook on life.
At the end of the day, it is so important for us to spread awareness about how common dealing with mental illness is, and how important it is for us to always strive to make our mental health better. For far too long this has gone unspoken of, but it is time to make people uncomfortable and start the conversation about mental health.
