Sticking it to the Stigma: There’s No Shame in Being Sick

After explaining to my close friend of ten years that getting out of bed was one of the hardest tasks of the day, she laughed. “You’re just lazy,” she said, “you need to be more motivated,” and that was that. She had reduced my major depression to a simple idiosyncrasy- laziness. Unfortunately, her attitude towards mental illness isn’t new. For centuries, many people have seen mental illness, especially disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as “strange” or “taboo” purely because of their lack of knowledge. While the shame surrounding mental illness has decreased since way back when, most of society is still ignorant in regards to neurological disorders. Their unawareness contributes to the worldwide social stigma around mental illness, which negatively affects the mentally ill by causing discrimination against them and prohibiting them from receiving the help they deserve.

When one has a neurological disorder, social support is vital. The mentally ill need to be shown love and acceptance so they can feel less alone. However, many people who have been diagnosed with a neurological disorder are discriminated against daily. Some have had their identity reduced to their disease, being labeled as “crazy” due to their mental health, while others have lost the support of their family and friends. For some people, the discrimination against them can actually cause their mental health to deteriorate rapidly. For example, someone with depression will only become more depressed if they are ostracized by others. While living with a neurological disorder is a tough journey within itself, it would be easier if society was more understanding of what challenges the mentally ill face daily.

According to the World Health Organization, “one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives,” which is around 450 million people total. However, only around 297 million will ever seek help for their disorder (“Mental Disorders Affect One in Four People”). How can one receive help if they’re too scared to ask for it? Due to the stigma surrounding mental illness, the mentally ill are afraid to ask for help because of the judgments that may occur when they seek treatment. For example, I kept my depression and anxiety a secret for years because I was afraid of what other people would think. While burying my head in the sand only made things worse, it did help me realize that I needed to talk to a therapist. My biggest fear when I told my parents I was suicidal and they sent to the hospital was how others would view me after I left treatment. Would my friends view me as weak? Would my parents see me as a disappointment? What names would I be called when I returned to school? Fortunately, many people were sympathetic of my situation; however, others looked down on me, labeling me as an abnormality. While I grew closer to people that understood my depression, I lost close friends who refused to accept me for who I was.

The social stigma surrounding mental illness causes discrimination against the mentally ill and prohibits them from receiving help. Due to the rational fears of rejection, many people with neurological disorders are afraid to seek treatment. Furthermore, the mentally ill are constantly isolated and labeled purely because of their mental health. If this issue was solved, the world population would be much healthier. The number of people with mental disorders would be drastically reduced since people would no longer be afraid of seeking treatment. Although the day is far off, my dream is that I will one day no longer hear mental disorders being referred to as “disgusting” while sitting at the lunch table. I stand for fighting the stigma surrounding mental illness.

Works Cited:

“Mental Disorders Affect One in Four People." WHO. World Health

Organization, 04 Oct. 2001. Web. 31 July 2015. <http://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/>;.