The month of May is Mental Health Awareness month, and I felt the need to address a topic that is very dear to my heart.
Mental illness comes in many different forms, and it is the biggest factor that affects mental health. It is also a very touchy subject for many people.
You see, most everyone knows about the more serious forms of mental illness including, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, etc., but many people do not think that other forms of mental illness are serious problems. Disorders like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and so many others are brushed off to the side by too many people. This attitude towards these disorders has created a stigma surrounding the people who are diagnosed with them.
Many of these disorders are actually quite common in our society, but you would never know it because no one wants to say anything about them. Most people are too afraid to be ridiculed for having one of these disorders that they can not control and wish they didn't have.
“This disease comes with a package: shame. When any other part of your body gets sick, you get sympathy.” ~ Ruby Wax
This quote puts into words the feelings that someone suffering from a mental illness experience on a daily basis. It is so sad that in a society that claims to want equality and peace for all, those suffering with mental illnesses get left behind without a second glance.
I think as human beings, we too often forget that we do not know everything. We walk around with our opinions and egos, and we forget that we are not perfect. This is why I think this stigma has been plaguing our society for so long. We are so quick to look at someone suffering from a mental illness and say things like, "oh, you aren't really sick" or "you just want attention, don't you?" We forget that we are in no place to say whether or not this person is struggling. We are not in their shoes, so we do not get to judge their path or tell them what they are or are not struggling with.
"I'm not my diagnosis. I have good days and bad days, but I'm not contagious. I'm just human." ~ Patrice Caraway
This statement is so powerful for anyone suffering from a mental illness. Some of you may have read a previous article of mine that I wrote about my journey and struggles with generalized anxiety disorder. This quote is something that I try to tell myself everyday.
It is all too easy for someone suffering from a mental illness to allow themselves to feel like burdens on the world. You would feel that way too if everyone told you that your pain was "all in your head."
It is time that we start taking better care of people suffering with these disorders instead of tearing them down until they accept the lies the world is throwing at them. As someone who suffers daily with anxiety and understands all too well the stigma surrounding mental illness, I hope that one day I will be able to make a difference in the way the world sees mental health.
