Recently, I was privy to a discussion surrounding mental illness that truly opened up my eyes concerning how it is viewed in society. I consider myself fairly open-minded and considerate when it comes to this topic. I have been blessed with the opportunity to take a class that focused on this particular subject with a great amount of intensity and made me aware of the different facets of the way we, as a nation, treat the mentally ill. This discussion, though, was in a different class, on a different topic, in a different semester, and with an entirely different group of people.

During an online discussion, I brought up the idea of how those with a diagnosed mental illness are often automatically treated different than people who do not have a mental illness. The response I got from a classmate was shocking. Their contribution to this conversation was that someone who does not have a mental illness is not necessarily at an advantage because a mental illness is something that you can change. They suggested meditating, or changing one’s mindset as a way to do this.

Just to be clear, if someone has a diagnosed mental illness, there’s not a huge chance that they can magically cure themselves by meditation. If that were the case, I doubt mental illness would still be a topic that needs to be discussed. A mental illness is not something that most people want to have. It can be a completely debilitating and lonely thing to be diagnosed with something like depression or bipolar disorder. This conversation made me realize that there are some people who still don’t understand this.

There seems to be two different sides to the reasoning behind the treatment of mental illness in this way. One reason is because of our ‘dumbing down’ so to speak, of a very serious issue. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear someone use a mental illness related term for referring to something that is not actually related to said illness. Often, people will say that they are depressed, when they are in fact sad; that their temperamental friend is bipolar, when they are just experiencing a mood swing; or that their concern over what so and so posted on Instagram is giving them an anxiety attack, when they are simply upset. The thing is, being sad and having depression do not mean the same thing. The same goes for being emotional with having bipolar disorder, and for being anxious with having social anxiety disorder. Yes, mental illness is related most often to emotions, but that doesn’t mean that mental illnesses are emotions. I am guilty of these generalizations sometimes too, but I am actively trying to change the way I – and those around me – use some of these terms. Because we are often so lackadaisical with our use of terms related to mental illness, people often equate everyday experiences with serious mental health issues, making those with an actual diagnosed mental illness seem dramatic.

Another reason is the general lack of knowledge in regards to mental illness. Most people never really take the time to learn about something that is frequently portrayed in the media. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in five American adults experience a mental health issue. That means that almost everyone will know, and probably already knows, someone who suffers from a mental illness. We, as a nation, need to address the issue of mental health more frequently. Gone are the days when having a mental illness, or having a family member with mental illness, meant hiding for fear of being sent to a poorly run state mental institution. In fact, the defunding and closing down of such institutions, rather than reforming them, is part of why there is still such a problem with how we treat the mentally ill today. That’s another story for another time, but our society needs to acknowledge that mental illness is treatable and that hiding it from everyone isn’t going to help anything.

So what needs to be done? There is a multitude of problems that need to be solved before we can appropriately address the mental health problem in America. One thing that each and every one of us can do right now, though, is learn more. There are programs all across the country that are working to help educate people about mental health. There are numerous books covering this topic as well, I’d recommend Crazy by Pete Earley, and there are people willing to have a conversation about how we can reverse the stigma associated with mental illness. The first step is to become more aware. Research, ask questions, and speak up. We all need to be ready to respond thoughtfully and productively to that discussion that will come up in class, at work, or at home. We are the only ones who can change the way mental illness is viewed in our society, one conversation at a time.