Clinical depression is a state of sadness or melancholia that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individual's social functioning and/or activities of daily living....
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Stomp out Stigma!
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I think at some point in our lives, we've all been faced with the stigma that surrounds mental illness. I was wondering what different people's experiences have been and how you've dealt with them?
This is a short article I wrote a couple of years ago, so the stats may be wrong, but the message still holds: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder each year. Our only reaction is silence. Anyone who has visited the counseling services will likely appreciate the feeling of uneasiness that accompanies being there, but why? Since birth, we have been fed a multitude of opinions, right or wrong, and one of the most consistent of these has been the taboo nature of mental illness as a topic of conversation. Mental disorders are personality flaws, signs of weakness and detrimental reflections of poor parenting skills. That is what I believed growing up, so I knew I was safe from such a terrifying possibility that only happened to other people. The silence is a vicious cycle that promotes fear in those affected and ignorance in all others, and it is not just the public that is misled. The average doctor will be deeply concerned for the sedentary, overweight, fat-consuming patient who just suffered a heart attack, but will scorn the patient who enters with self-inflicted injuries. The insurance companies collude in this and will often not cover the medical expenses of these patients. Doctors and corporations are unlikely to change on their own, so it is up to the public to force the issue. We need to start talking. Every missed chance is a concession to the stigma, but nobody is willing to be the one to make the first move either from the dread of appearing weak or for the risk of being offensive. Talking about mental illness is neither easy nor comfortable, but it is the only way to drag society out of its defiant state of denial. How do you respond to someone who tells you it's 'all in your head' and for those getting professional help, what enabled you to get over that initial fear of what it might mean? Posted on 09/25/07, 07:09 pm |
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How do you respond to someone who tells you it's 'all in your head'.....ignore them and acknowledge that they are not yet educated on the matter whether that's because they haven't encountered it before or they are just being an ignoramus.
The important thing is that YOU know what it means 
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Of course it's in my head, my chemical imbalance to be precise. I knew I had a problem that can be treated, so I got help.
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But do you ever feel that just knowing for yourself isn't enough? I've found myself more and more trying to educate others - my campus has a strong chapter of Active Minds, which I've thrown all of myself into, but I'm not sure how much it's getting through to people...
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People tend to shy away from the whole "mental Illness" thing out of fear. I mean with a physical injury it's visible to all but when it comes to mental illness it's not like you can see a cut or anything and people fear what they cannot see or understand. Sad really.
At the end of the day you can lead a horse to water as you have done with your educating others but you can't make them drink nor understand if they are not willing....on saying that, if it gets through to ONE person then that is a victory. Why? Because that person can then educate another and so on.
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It depends on the circumstances. I've had some people say it in an attempt to be hurtful and I've simply ignored it. On other occasions it's led to discussions and for lack of a better word "educating" the person that asked the question.
You'll find intolerance in all walks of life. The ones that have shocked me the most are some of the so-called professionals I have come in to contact with in the mental health field (thankfully not many, but a few), and others who suffer with mental illness themselves. What enabled me to get over my initial fear of seeking help? I asked myself if I had another type of serious physical ailment would I avoid treatment? Would I be ashamed I had this ailment? Would it be my fault I had this ailment? All my answers were no. I also saw a poster once that read ... "although we cannot change the direction of the wind we can adjust our sails." I suppose I simply reached the point in time where I was ready to adjust my sails.
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I say "No, it's actually in my brain...or, no, excuse me, it's something that's NOT in my brain."
I then go on to explain that I have a chemical imbalance that prevents me from being able to "just move on". I have to admitt that there are times I have been very rude to others and have just said, "At least I have a head that's not stupid enough to make an insulting remark like that." I know, not very Christian of me, but sometimes people are just so hurtful and catch you so off guard that you can't help but sound off.
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Alot of people have told me its "all in my head". You get to a point past the frustration and anger, where it is what it is. They aren't going to ever understand and there's nothing you can do about it. In my opinion, only people who have been there can truly understand. Everyone else can just sympathize with you at best.
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I'm very open about my depression b/c it is such a huge part of my existence(I will not say of my "life"!)If someone wants to be my friend,I have to be certain that this facet of myself is also accepted--not condemned.To be silent about it with someone I'm close to would be a way of hiding thus condemning myself.I have had negative reaction to my disclosures about my illness,and in the short run, this is hurtful,but in the end,I feel better off, b/c at least I'm not getting rejected by someone I had begun to care for.
Education about mental illness is sorely needed by the general public...and many have accesss to that knowledge but don't want it.I think until mental illness,like many things,touches you or someone you love, people prefer to stay ignorant of it.It's an upsetting and vexing subject they choose not to think of,or as little as possible.To distance it even further from themselves,many also tell themselves that it happens "only to other people."This keeps them squarey in the dark. Great article!Thanks for posting.
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I think people are afraid of mental illness. I laugh at my OCD, because people don't truly understand it. I have been on prozac for 1 and 1/2 years, and have been told I may never come off it. At first I was bummed, but I have come to realize it does not make me a bad person. I just need a little help. I have even had people tell me God does not want me to take medication and that it goes against him, but I know that is not true.
People feer what they do not understand.
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