It is an unfortunate fact that one of the most frequently concurrent and prevalent issues of the modern day is frowned upon and written off as something minor. In truth, quite the opposite is true. One in four young adults from age 18 to 25 can be diagnosed with some form of mental illness in one way or another. From things like Schizophrenia to panic disorders; I myself struggle with bi-polar depression, and an anxiety disorder and frequently struggle to make people understand. Many times I’ve been asked “What’s wrong with you?” Or “Why are you acting like that?” Many times I’ve responded with “I have anxiety issues,” only to be responded to with “So?” These interactions have lead to one thing, my refusal to speak about my mental illness.

The saddening fact is that many others have gone through the same experience in their own way. And what takes the cake is when people refuse to even attempt to understand or listen when one tries to open up and explain themselves. It traps those with mental illness in an environment where they have nowhere to go. An unfortunate, but realistic metaphorical situation: an individual who’s friends don’t support them when they attempt to explain, and a family who doesn’t believe that there is anything wrong.

And all of this is made more tragic is the fact that proper, professional assistance exists in a surplus. Most, if not all colleges and universities have counseling centers, and there are various toll free hotlines that one can call for quick support. But, either people do not know of these means of assistance, or the mentally ill don't feel that these outlets will actually help.

It is here that we get to the center of the issue, why and how we remove the stigma of mental illness from society. The solution is to educate more on mental illness and what it’s really like to live with it. Mental illness isn’t something as simple as being upset all the time. In a lot of cases it’s being so upset that you don’t shower for four days, or eat for an entire weekend, because you struggle to find the energy or the reasons to do so. Beyond that, ending the dramatization of it in the media would go a long way as well. As stated above, being mentally ill isn’t a glamorous thing. It’s not easy to deal with. The most major thing is not questioning a person's experiences because doing so invalidates what they're feeling, and it puts the idea into their mind that what they have to say does not matter. Their experiences are their own. Do not question them. Understand them.

We need to get people to understand that the mentally ill are not in any way different when compared to a "normal" person. In the end, it is the proper understanding and education about mental illness that will make the stigma go away.