Stigmas

            So, I’ve come to the conclusion that people mock other people’s struggles for two main reasons: Either they don’t understand them, or they understand them all too well. That’s why everybody is uncomfortable when it comes to talking about mental illness - more specifically, anxiety and depression. They’re uncomfortable subjects, and it’s weird because so many people struggle with these things, millions of people, and yet, they’re still so misunderstood. There are so many stereotypes and stigmas surrounding these very real struggles. It’s unreal how misunderstood these mental illnesses are, especially considering how common of an issue they are. Depression affects millions of people, and yet, people still think it’s a choice. The reality is, you don’t choose to have these things. You don’t wake up and decide, “I think I’m going to try to be depressed.” That’s not how it works, and if people are doing that, that’s just contributing to the overall misunderstanding of these problems. It makes sense that these issues are so misunderstood when there are people out there who are saying, “I have anxiety because I get nervous meeting new people,” or, “I have depression because I get sad sometimes.” That’s why people have got to stop perpetuating these false stereotypes. There needs to be a mutual understanding of what it truly is; what it truly feels like; how it affects someone. A clinically depressed person cannot just stop being depressed, and this is the advice that they get from people who don’t understand. People say, “Just stay strong. Put a smile on your face. Try something new. Go meet new people.” The reality is that depression will stop you from doing all of these things. People still have this weird notion that you choose to be happy (or not). So happiness is a choice, your frame of mind affects everything? Well, not when the chemicals in your brain are all messed up. You don’t choose to get depression; you don’t choose to be born with anxiety. You don’t get to choose these things. When it comes to hurting yourself, people make all these jokes: “Oh, I’m going to go cut myself because you said that." People don’t realize that maybe there’s someone around who can hear you who has been struggling with that, and they just go make a joke about it, like it’s some foreign issue that nobody around has ever had to deal with. It’s just something crazy people do, right? That’s what it’s treated like. You can’t be like, “Oh, yeah, I can make this joke because none of us are like those crazy people.” You can’t do that. And you shouldn’t be making those jokes in the first place, I mean, for the reasons I mentioned from the very beginning, I understand why these people are doing what they’re doing, and it’s easier to cope with something you don’t understand if you make a joke about it. The sooner these people realize what they’re doing, the sooner they realize that stuff they don’t understand doesn’t have to be scary, maybe they’ll stop cracking jokes about slitting your wrists. Maybe they’ll stop thinking killing yourself is funny. Maybe they’ll stop telling their friends, “Oh, go kill yourself.” Maybe they’ll stop throwing these serious phrases around in public places where someone with depression, someone who’s survived a suicide attempt, could hear. So many people know what it’s like to have your struggles made into jokes, and that’s just not fair. All these stigmas surrounding mental illness just contribute to them being made out as trivial things you can get over, things you’re faking. 

            If you talk about your depression or anxiety, you’re seeking attention, you just want people to pay attention to you, you want people to feel bad for you. If you don’t talk about it, you don’t really have it, you’re faking it. If you don’t act depressed or anxious, you’re faking it. You’re not depressed. You’re just saying that. You’re just using it as an excuse. 

           That’s what's being said to people who struggle with depression and anxiety. So the only thing I want to do is make other people aware of this. No one needs to be making this world even harder for people who are mentally ill. You can help make it easier. Support people who are dealing with these things. I find the number of suicides per year appalling, especially considering that we can do something about that number.