Fight the stigma of mental illness!

TL;DR - Educating ourselves on mental illness/disability will go a long way in not only helping ourselves out, but also society in general.

I don't start very many threads here with the point of educating, because I feel like people may generally start to think that I'm some kind of narcissist who thinks he's smarter than everyone else. Plus, I generally don't like preaching to the choir. However, despite the risk of doing such a thing, I want to talk about what I believe to be a very important topic.

Eradicating the stigma of mental illness is something that I believe is possible. Ultimately, we are the species on earth who is more proficient than any other when it comes to critical thinking and learning. However, the one thing that often gets in our way is our own minds.

One thing that hurts our potential to learn more about mental illness (or maybe I should say mental "challenges"), is our pre-concieved notions of mental illness in general. Think about it: what thoughts instantly come to your head when I say the words "schizophrenia"? "Psychopathy/Sociopathy"? "Bi-Polar Disorder?" "Depression/Anxiety"? (etc etc) Unless you have a vast understanding of these particular mental states (or any of the other vast amounts of conditions one could have), or just have a strong sense of compassion in general, you may have a certain amount of fear when it comes to associating yourself with these people.

For instance, you have a friend of a friend who you meet and, initially, you may have good feelings about them and feel strongly that you will see them again and enjoy more positive experiences with them. Now be honest with yourself - will you feel as strongly when it's revealed to you that they are Bi-Polar? Autistic? Suffer from depression/anxiety?

I'll admit - it's not easy for me, either. A part of me still asks, "is it in my best interest to stay associated with this person?".

This is exactly why I'm so passionate about this. The one thing that could potentially worsen someone's condition is a feeling of isolation. You're not making their situation any better by distancing yourself from them.

I get it, though - we're all doing what we think we must do to protect ourselves and, perhaps, our own mental health. We all know the potential dangers of exposing ourselves to potentially abusive people.

However, if we can educate ourselves on how to efficiently support those with a mental issue, of any degree, these dangers could drastically diminish.

I'll skip the details and look at the potential big picture here: imagine a world in which children can grow up with parents/guardians who are free of mental limitations, or at least have a sufficient amount of support if they do have problems. Imagine a world where children themselves have the knowledge that whatever they're going through will pass, because they have parents/guardians who can give them the emotional support they need.

So what can we do to fight the stigma of mental illness right now? Three words: education, education, education. If there is someone in your life who is suffering from any kind of mental condition, educate yourself on exactly what it is, exactly what these people are going through on a daily basis, and exactly how to support someone with that particular condition. Actively point out when someone's opinion on a particular condition may be mis-guided (without being condescending, or disrespectful of course). Make it a point to educate others whenever you feel it's necessary.

Why am I using this platform to preach this? Because we all, or at least the majority of us, know what it's like to live with a mental disorder. Therefore, we are more likely to become good educators on the subject. None of us want the people in our lives to run away from us just because we're having a difficult time, therefore we must stay vigilent when it comes to supporting others who may be having a difficult time.

Plus, wouldn't it do wonders for our porn problem if people started to take us seriously?

If anyone has any thoughts, or perhaps a devil's advocate, please don't hesitate to comment. Let's have an active discussion about this!

 

Yes, we're getting better, however there are still way too many critics. We are all ultimately responsible for our actions, of course, but what if our actions were a bit beyond our control? I think too many people believe that our behavior is completely dictated by our morals...which is why progress isn't where it should be.