Why is there such a stigma attached to mental disorders and the things that get associated with them? Is it because people are uncomfortable when it comes to talking about the chemical imbalances in our brains, or is it because they are uncomfortable with the things that can be associated with it or the things that follow suit with them?
In my opinion, people are uncomfortable with talking about it and because of what comes along with it some of the times. According to psychology today writer, Eric Maisel, a PhD, states that a mental disorder is a syndrome that is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition (thought), emotion regulation, and behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or the developmental processes that underlie mental function.
There are many different types of mental disorders, and they all vary in types of how severe they can be. As for me, I have depression and severe anxiety. The stigmas that come along with that make it very hard to talk about it to doctors and/or any of my friends and family. Many people are too scared to ask for help because they are afraid of how people will think of them after they speak out about their disorder. It is especially hard to ask for help when you struggle to accept that is what is going on and that you actually do need help in order to get better.
Many people are scared of some of the things that can be associated with mental disorders. Most people that suffer from depression also may suffer from other things, such as self-harm and suicidal thoughts or actions. Almost all of the people that have depression in high school and suffer from self-harm in many ways may try to hide it. Others may try and speak out and get help; however, some people think that anyone that asks for help with a mental disorder is attention seeking, which only will make them feel as if they need to hide their disorder and not ask for help. Because after all, its just in your head, isn't it?
It's hard to accept that anyone that doesn't live with a mental disorder will say that. I have had it said to me by one of my doctors even. It is just the current nature of the stigma of mental disorders. It took me almost seven years to make an appointment with my doctor to ask for help, and even then I was still unsure of how it would go over. She told me that she did not believe that I had one because I did not act like I had one, and, after hiding it from almost everyone for seven years, I could see how she could think that. However, after explaining what I had been struggling with, she was glad that I reached out for help.
I wish the stigma of mental disorders wasn't there and people were not afraid to speak out about them. If we speak out more clearly with what we are suffering with and got more people to understand that it is more than just in our heads but it effects us daily and how we live our lives, then maybe the stigma that we are all just "attention-seeking" and "crazy" would be broken. To the people that have a problem with mental disorders, read up and learn about them so you are more capable of understanding what it is like to live with a mental disorder. To anyone reading this that currently struggles, be strong and speak out. Do not be afraid to share your story and get the help that you deserve. You're so strong for your continued fight.
