Recently, I have noticed a trend in the topic of articles published by online sources: what it's really like to live with a mental illness. Some focus on anxiety, depression, etc., while others use the broad term of "mental illness." It's a worthy cause to write about. Many wish to "end the stigma" that comes along with mental illnesses. Others realize that expressing their experiences may help others living with these disorders to not feel so alone. Nevertheless, I cannot help but cringe when I come across these articles.
Why? It's a gross generalization of what people are going through. For the author, yes, that is what it's like to live with the mental illness. But speak to anyone working in the field of mental and behavioral health, and they will tell you without blinking an eye that no case is the same. People experience these disorders and their symptoms very differently.
For example, arguably the most common mental illnesses, anxiety and depression, manifest themselves in very different ways for each individual. For some, panic attacks may be a racing heart and sweaty palms. Others experience an upset stomach or may feel short of breath. There is no tell-tale sign of a panic attack. Likewise, although some people living with depression may feel as if they are constantly lacking motivation to complete simple tasks, others me be going through the motions but have thoughts of self harm. It's impossible to put mental illness in these neat boxes that these articles attempt to create. Writing about living with an anxiety disorder may actually have the opposite effect than the writer's intent to help others not feel alone in their struggle if the readers experience their anxiety and panic attacks differently.
And what about readers of the article who aren't living with these disorders? These articles often try to give advice about how to help a friend who may be experiencing the symptoms of these disorders; perhaps, they tell you how to help a friend cope with a panic attack. That advice may work for some people, but may make the attack worse for others. For readers not living with these disorders, the article could also be reinforcing the stigma that comes with mental illness instead of ending it, since the author tries to define the illness in a certain way. Perhaps these readers may take the article as an objective guide of what having a mental illness is for all people, and then inadvertently apply the author's experience to each person they meet with a mental illness.
So please, for everyone's sake, stop writing about what it's like to live with mental illness. Talking about mental health is certainly a good thing and no one should be discouraged from sharing their experiences, but please title your article accordingly.
