As a psychology major, I’m sure you can imagine that I have a huge interest in mental illness. Besides my interest for it, more importantly, I want to help people who suffer from mental illness. Too often people don’t understand mental illnesses and they brush them under the rug hoping that they can just “deal with it.” They even get that opinion from other people, it is a common belief in our society that people just need to “get over it.” This is not the answer.

One of the most common mental illnesses in our society today is anxiety. Anxiety affects 18% of people in our society. Two-thirds of those people that suffer from anxiety are not receiving treatment. With that being said, why do you think these people aren’t receiving treatment? Maybe they are denying they have a problem, or maybe they are afraid of how people will treat them, or maybe they are afraid of being deemed as crazy. The stigma behind mental illness is often times why people don’t receive treatment for their condition.

Mental illnesses are caused by a multitude of reasons, but some of those include a traumatic event or a chemical imbalance of the brain. Both of which people can’t just “get over.” A lot of people suffer from severe mental illness and they don’t receive treatment because they are afraid. These people who don’t seek treatment suffer on a daily basis, and the mental illness becomes the silent killer.

Mental illness should be treated just as seriously as a physical illness. Although you can’t see how people suffer from mental illness on the outside like you can a physical illness, the suffering is still the same. Some mental illnesses become so severe that can cause physical problems as well. Mental illnesses can also have an effect on a person’s social life; they become so debilitating that the person doesn’t want to leave their bedroom, which causes them to lose their job. It is an endless downward spiral for some people.

Too often people make assumptions about mental illness and this is where the stigma comes from. People who suffer from mental illness are not “crazy.” Mental illness does not make a person weak. They can’t help that they have this problem, just like a person can’t help if they develop cancer. No one would tell someone suffering from cancer to “get over it,” and no one should tell someone who suffers from mental illness to “get over it.”

With all of this being said, if you know someone with mental illness let them know you are on their side. It’s important for them to have a good support system. It is also important to take the time to understand their illness, that way you can help them in the best way possible. It will also show that you have taken the initiative to be as supportive as you can be. Mental illness is not a joke. It can silently kill people over time. It should be taken seriously, without any judgment.