With winter approaching and seasonal depression on the rise, it's imperative that mental illness is discussed. I'm going to cut down to the chase: it's not a joke, plain and simple. It is not funny to say that someone is being "bipolar" because they are moody one day, or that you're depressed because you're having a bad day. And it is most certainly not a joke to say you're going to "kill yourself" when you do something wrong. We throw these words out every day like they're nothing and we don't realize the attachments they have to them. People are struggling with mental illness throughout their whole lives and it is not easy by any means. The worst part is that people use these words incorrectly, but when they finally encounter someone with mental illness, they write them off. Telling someone with depression to "just be happy" or someone who is bi-polar to "calm down" is like hearing nails on a chalkboard.
We treat physical illness like the flu or even a mild cold very seriously, so how come when someone is mentally ill we don't believe something is wrong with them? It is not fair. Mental illness is as serious as any other physical illness and deserves to be treated as such. Even today with society becoming more aware that there is, in fact, mental illness, we are still not educated enough. It seems as though one needs to experience these things to truly understand what they mean. To me, that is absurd. We need to start understanding these diseases more to be more educated and maybe even help someone out.
The "End The R Word" campaign is truly incredible. I started hearing about it in high school and since then they really took off and so many more people are now aware of the hurt that comes along with the negative connotation of that word. So now, lets get this campaign started. We need to put a stop to the stigma of mental illness. We need to stop using the word "emo" to make fun of someone who is sad, or calling anyone crazy for having and expressing their emotions, it's completely unacceptable. What better time than now? It's 2015, people are becoming more accepting and understanding of the new world we live in and this has to be apart of it. Educate yourself. Do a little research on these mental illnesses you hear about every day. See what it is really like to live everyday as a struggle like many people do. Most importantly — be compassionate. Living with a mental illness is like fighting a battle with yourself every single day. Be aware that your words carry more impact than you think and be conscious that not everyone works the way you do. Everyone has their own story, it's time to start reading them correctly. It is time to put an end to the stigma of mental illness.
