Mental health is something that affects all of us, whether that be suffering from it first hand, or merely being exposed to its effects. My personal experience of mental health has been purely second hand, and so in order to study this topic, I thought it only correct that I ask someone who has suffered from it. A close friend of mine suffered from anxiety and she agreed to answer some questions on matters concerning the stigma surrounding mental disease.
I began by asking why she thought there was so much stigma surrounding mental health. To this she replied that, the fact that mental illnesses are not physical, like a broken leg, means that people do not understand how serious the effects can be. She also said that she thinks people can be scared of it and of what mental health does to people; she recalled how when she experienced panic attacks she found herself acting in an entirely different manner and that people who saw her in this state became wary. This was because they were uncertain of what to do and how to behave towards her in that situation. She also claimed that there was not enough conversation surrounding mental illness, people are not made familiar enough with it and so it remains an alien concept and the division between those experiencing it, and those not, is not diminishing.
I then went on to ask if the stigma had affected her in any way. She said that at first, knowing that some people might not take her illness seriously, made her scared and embarrassed to be honest about it. She was also worried that people would assume she was acting, or pretending, purely for the intention of getting attention. However, she said that her main concern was that people would treat her differently. She did not want to be defined by a disease. Something she has learned is that people seem to take two extreme approaches to mental illness, either not understanding the gravity of the problem, or seeing people who suffer from mental illness as out of control individuals who will be locked up in mental institutions. Nevertheless, she pointed out that she had never encountered anyone who was particularly ignorant about mental illness.
This warped perspective of mental illness clearly needs to be destroyed before we can fully tackle the situation. So, I asked her why she thought that it was still viewed in this distorted way. She stated that talking about mental illness was not enough to solve the issue, as it does not change how much people understand mental health. The only way people will begin to accept the significance of these illnesses is if they understand them. She then said that it was appalling that some people, suffering from mental health were not even aware of what they were supposed to do in the situation. Everyone knows that if you break your leg, you take a trip to A and E and hope that the queue won’t be too long, but those suffering with mental health issues, that are desperately in need of help, are not even sure of how to go about getting it. This is why she thinks it so important that an end be put to this ridiculous miscommunication.
Alice Karslake
Streatham and Clapham High School
