Recently I stumbled across an Odyssey article titled, "Sorry, But Your Undiagnosed 'Mental Illness' Seems Made Up," which has since been deleted--for obvious reasons. The writer's sub-headline claimed, "If you don't have a mental illness, why are you telling people you do?"
I'm here to answer this question--although it shouldn't have been asked in the first place.
Let's begin with some background information. Mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, often begin to take effect in young adults ages 14-25; in fact, 50% of those who will eventually be diagnosed with mental illness begin to display the signs starting at age fourteen, and this percentage increases to 75% by the age of 25. The teenage years are a critical age in identity development, making it a difficult period for teens as is; the addition of probable mental illness symptoms only makes their lives harder. When we combine the psychological struggle of simply figuring life out as a teenager with a still-developing brain and the high potential for mental illness, we get teens who may, in fact, be struggling with mental illness--and not necessarily know it or have the courage to come forward and say it.
Unfortunately, for high-income countries like the U.S., up to half of these cases of serious mental illness are left undetected and untreated.
Wait, what did I just say? Did I just say that UP TO HALF OF THESE CASES OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN YOUNG ADULTS ARE LEFT UNDETECTED AND UNTREATED? Sorry, had to say it louder for the people in the back--and the author.
So now that we've established that undiagnosed mental illness is a thing--although I'm still not quite sure why I had to establish this obvious fact in the first place--I'm going to go on to explain why people claiming they may have a mental illness, even if they have not necessarily been given an official diagnosis, should be taken seriously and should not be shamed.
Approximately one suicide occurs every fifteen minutes in the U.S., making "suicide the third leading cause of death" in young adults living in the U.S. If this fact wasn't devastating enough, a majority of these cases are a result of--you guessed it--undiagnosed mental illness. So if a large majority of suicide cases are a result of UNDIAGNOSED MENTAL ILLNESS--remind me again why some people feel the need to shame those who think they may have a mental illness?
Also, the last time I checked, I'm pretty sure getting help for potential mental illnesses begins with--you guessed it again--saying that you may have a mental illness. It's kind of like when you're riding a bike, and suddenly you fall off and feel a sharp pain shoot up your ankle. If you said, "OW! I think I broke my ankle!!" and were clearly emotionally distraught and in pain, nobody would say, "Um, why would you say you have a broken ankle when you don't actually know?! Just go lay down and pretend it doesn't hurt." Instead, they would immediately take you to the ER to get your *potential* broken ankle checked out and fixed.
So WHY ON EARTH is this not the same philosophy for mental illness? Why is emotional pain so much more shameful than physical pain? Is pain that can't be seen but is still felt just as much not real? Because it's real to those who suffer from mental illness. You can't just put a band-aid on a broken ankle, just like you can't just tell someone with mental illness to be happy.
Mental illness is a very real, very painful, and very scary world to live in for those who must live with it. If it wasn't already obvious from the fact that I had to write this article, mental illness carries a huge stigma that discredits the feelings, the pain, and ultimately, the reality of those who suffer from it. In case those who have mental illness don't already think they're a burden on everyone around them, the world and articles like these have to go and shame those who already know they have a mental illness or think they may have one.
It takes an incredible amount of courage for those who believe they may have a mental illness to come forward and say that they think they may be suffering from a mental illness in order to get the help they need, and for articles like this to ridicule those brave folks who come forward is a disgrace.
So to the author of this article: I hope this helps you to acknowledge that people who come forward saying they have a mental illness but don't yet have an official diagnosis from a trained professional should not be discredited, but should be taken seriously. Mental illness is clearly an epidemic among young adults, and everyone who comes forward claiming to have a mental illness should get the help they need, regardless of whether or not they end up officially diagnosed with one. Why else would they be claiming it? We all go through stressful periods in life, yes, but that doesn't mean we should shut down people who think something more serious is going on.
And to the people out there who think they may have a mental illness but aren't quite sure and are scared to come forward: It makes you incredibly brave to admit that you are silently suffering in a world that fails to recognize silent pain as real. Don't be afraid or ashamed of what you are going through; it is real and there are reasons for it, just as there are reasons for broken ankles. Get the help you need to live your life to the fullest. Your undiagnosed mental illness is very real to you, otherwise, you would not claim to have one--never forget that.
