Mental illness is something that’s extremely prevalent in our society, but it isn’t always treated the way it should be. There are many people who think it can be overcome/cured by just flipping a switch. These are the people who say, “it’s all in your head,” if it were only that easy. I understand that if you don’t have a mental illness, like depression, it’s hard to understand what someone who has this is going through. If this is how you feel then there is no need for your opinion on the subject. Respect the person who suffers from a mental illness and just be as supportive as possible.
Besides the ignorance that surrounds mental illness, there’re also people who romanticize depression. In books and films there’s always someone who comes and “saves” the day. They come in and rescue the person from their illness and themselves and there’re people who buy into this. When you romanticize mental illness like this you’re making it almost enticing to others. This isn’t right because it can lead to a person possibly harming themselves physically and/or psychologically because they want to find love through their suffering. If you teach society that mental illness can only be cured through the love of someone else than the people who suffer from these illnesses will get worse; they will become convinced that there’s no way they can beat their illness by themselves. For them it could be a loss of hope.
As a society, we need to become more accepting of mental illnesses because millions of people suffer from them every day. There’s nothing romantic or beautiful about someone’s mental illness and we, as a society, need to stop downplaying it. Depression isn’t feeling sad because it’s raining outside; depression is crippling sadness that holds you captive in your bed stopping you from doing anything on that day. Anxiety isn’t being worried you’re going to fail a test, it’s not being able to breathe every time you’re thrown into something you aren’t comfortable with. And Bipolar Disorder isn’t getting mad out of nowhere; it’s going from laughing to crying in a split second for almost no reason at all. People need to stop using these mental illnesses in their everyday speech because it downplays the severity of the diseases.
This idea that you need to find someone to save you from your mental illness is completely wrong. You’re the only one who can save you. Surround yourself with loving and caring people and filter out those who bring you down. Focus on the positivity in your life and continue to work on who you are. If you’re someone who suffers from a mental illness just know that it doesn’t make you less of a person. Continue to strive for whatever goals you have set and you will be able to persevere. The challenges you’re facing now will make you a stronger person in the long run, but also remember you don’t have to face them alone. This is just that, it’s an illness, it’s not a disorder it’s a disease. When someone has Cancer or Parkinson’s they would seek help. Get the help you need, fight the fight, and don’t ever give up.
