There is a secret, one that nobody is prepared to talk about; one so shocking it may bring down society, as we know it. Am I talking about a scandal or some sort of political corruption? Am I talking about some secret society that rules over us, or perhaps I m talking about the fact that we are all aliens from outer space? While I would infinitely prefer to talk about any one of these things, I am talking about the truth that nobody is talking about. I am talking about the fact that people with mental illness walk among us.
I hear your sighs, “Not this again,” “Haven’t we already talked about this?” And trust me, I hear you. In essence, you are right, people with mental illness are no longer labeled as “crazy” or “psychos, and that’s great, it is, but the sad truth is, we’re not being talked about as real people either. We are not seen as human beings, who happen to have various conditions, but we are, in fact, seen as the embodiment of the conditions themselves. I suffer from depression, and yet many people feel obliged to tell me that I “am” depression.
How would you feel if I said you “were” varicose veins, or you “were” diabetes?
The fact that while people with mental illness are not often talked about badly anymore, it seems we are just, quite simply, not talked about, not in any meaningful way anyway. I see people putting up posts on Facebook all the time, with one-off little comment on how they’ve struggled, and that’s great—more power to them, but these are just fleeting moments of support that quickly fizzle and burn out. There is no substance to them.
More and more people are talking to their families about mental illness, which is amazing, but let’s be honest, would you tell your work colleagues or your footy friends?
Then there are all of those types of illnesses that we talk about. While we are all greatly aware that there are people with anxiety or depression out there, it appears that illnesses like psychotic disorders (i.e., eating disorders and personality disorders) are to be exempt from this feeling of understanding and tolerance. It shocks me that even in 2019, the only time I read about these types of illnesses are either in sensationalist articles or articles about violence and murder. Many celebrities are willing to come forward in support of anxiety and depression, but only a handful will come forward to support “unpopular” illnesses.
And that’s another point, do celebrity endorsements help? While it gets the word out and spreads the message of tolerance, it also makes mental illness seem a far off thing, only to be worried about by the rich and famous that don’t really walk among us. Well, they do.
I’m not saying we are not talking at all. Some people with mental illness are proactive in getting the word out there, but many are afraid to, out of fear and stigma. Maybe if we talked more, we would find out that people are more tolerant than we think. This is not supposed to be a bad rant at people. It is mainly supposed to be a message that what we say is important and can make a huge difference.
People are more than happy to talk about their “success” in recovery, but very few will talk about the constant relapse or their bad days. This gives the wrong message that mental illness is something to overcome, rather than lived with. There is a lot out there in the world, a lot of noise, but I wonder if we cut through the politics and media hype, we may find that just talking might help.
So, the next time you are out at a pub, or about to make a Facebook post, next time you go shopping with your friend or stop for a five-minute chat in your lunch break, just remember this piece and maybe try to talk about it. You never know, you just might be surprised.
Mark Jacobson,
Peer Support Specialist,
Winona, MN.
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