This is a blog post I wrote for shellieburg.blogspot.com a couple of years ago. The topic seems to fit really well with the theme of this blog so I decided to resurrect it and post it here.
Has anyone else noticed what a large stigma has been attached to
people having mental health problems? It has always bothered me that
people aren't able to talk openly about their health. People are often
judged or insulted because of health problems that they can not
control. Mental health really isn't all that different from physical
health yet it is treated with a very different attitude.
If
a person were to say, "We had to take Uncle Bruce to the hospital last
night, turns out he has diabetes", the response would probably be one of
sympathy. "Oh, that's too bad, he'll have to give up some of his
favorite foods", or of helpfulness "I found these great cookies at the
store the other day, they were low sugar, he could probably eat them".
Similar responses are given when telling someone that a friend or a
family member has celiac disease, sympathy and an offer to help find
gluten free recipes.
Why is it that the attitude
changes so much when discussing mental illness. The whole tone
generally changes to one of shame, like the patient should have
something to hide. A conversation about mental illness is more likely
to look something like this, "Don't tell anyone this, I wouldn't want
it to get out, but, my sister told me she has (whispers) 'depression',
she started taking (whispers) 'prozac'. I just know she's going to get
addicted". Or it could take more of a gossip tone like this, "Katie had
to go to the hospital yesterday, the doctors said she's bipolar"
"Really, I knew she was having a hard time but I thought she was
stronger than that".
Most mental health problems aren't
a lot different from diabetes in the sense that they are caused by a
chemical imbalance. The person living with the illness didn't cause the
problem and they can't "snap out of it" and make themselves feel
better. Treatment is also, usually, similar to diabetes, medication
that helps balance out the chemicals and some simple lifestyle changes
to keep the person healthy, really the same lifestyle changes that we
should all be aiming towards, healthy diet, regular exercise and
consistant sleep.
I've always had a problem with the
way mental health patients are looked upon but it got a lot more
personal very recently. About a month ago I was diagnosed with Bipolar
Disorder. I've probably been living with it for years without knowing
it. I've always been moody but it took a long time before I realized
that my mood swings were out of proportion to the events that caused
them and were more intense than what the people around me experienced.
When I first realized that something wasn't right there were very few
people I would discuss it with, I didn't want people thinking I was
crazy. Some very good friends encouraged me to see a doctor and
eventually I took their advice. Now that I've been on medication and
have been working on changing some bad habits I feel a lot better than I
have in a while and can think clearly now. I don't feel as though I'm a
victim to uncontrollable emotions anymore.
I am lucky
because I have very supportive friends and family. Their are a lot of
people that I can talk openly with whether it is to discuss medication
side effects, days when it doesn't feel like they are helping as much or
frustration with the changes I'm trying to make. I know that I have
people who will always be there to support me through it all.
Unfortunately, not everyone has this same support base and part of the
reason for that is that a lot of people don't really know what it means
to have a mental illness. It is a chemical imbalance, it is usually
treatable, it is beyond the control of the people suffering and it is
not a sign of weakness.
My final thoughts on the issue
are to be sure to research specific illnesses before talking about them
with someone. Their are probably as many different mental illnesses as
their are physical illnesses, they each have their own signs and
different treatment options. It is important that your advice be geared
toward the specific illness being discussed.
No comments:
Post a Comment