I never was a
normal kid. That was apparent while I was growing up. I’d have random
fits of aggression and throw massive tantrums. I’d suddenly lose all interest in
things I loved and I’d lock myself in my room alone. There was obviously
something different from the other children in the way I acted. This led to a
visit to the doctor, and at the young age of six I was diagnosed with Bipolar
Disorder. I was prescribed medicine, and took it every morning and night like I
was instructed. Eventually, my behaviors were under control and I began to try and live a more normal life. It wasn't really until high school until I began to
see how society truly viewed those who have a mental illness.
Towards the beginning of high school, as I began to mature, I truly began to grasp what exactly Bipolar Disorder was. Even though it was controlled by my medicine, I still very much had symptoms. Most notably were the mood swings. I wasn't the only one who began to see these behaviors much more clearly. My peers noticed as well. Again, I was the weird kid because of a disorder I had no control over. I wasn't bad by any means, but I was different enough to where I was bullied. I never truly understood why I was treated so differently for something I couldn't control until my sophomore year of high school. In my U.S, Government class we had begun discussing the media’s impact on public opinion on controversial issues. It was then when I realized why I was treated poorly, by adolescents and adults alike.
Today’s media has put such a stigma upon mental illness. It’s to the point where some individuals would rather hide it and avoid treatment out of fear of how other people would treat them. That’s because the media portrays those with mental illnesses in such a negative light, as if they are dangerous or subhuman. In an article written on www.cost-ofliving.net, it discusses exactly this. The website states “People who experience stigma are less likely to seek help, and are more likely to be subject to forced treatment. They are also more likely to experience crime than the general population and to fear that they would not be believed or that they may even be detained under mental health legislation” These individuals can’t control that they have a mental illness. It’s not different from someone who has diabetes, they can’t control that they have it. So why do we specifically ostracize those with mental illness? This is because there isn't enough effort put into combating this stigma. So those who are suffering will continue to suffer, and perhaps not seek the help that they could so desperately use out of fear of being discovered.
No one person can eliminate the stigma behind mental illness, only time and the proper representation of mental illness in the media can do that. The media today is still very stigma heavy, and that is very sad to see. Those with mental illnesses can’t always just “get better” or “feel better”, and the media doesn't understand that. I can only imagine the poor souls out there who bear the burden of mental illness alone. I was lucky, I received help, and I’m learning how to live a normal life while managing my mental illness. Some are not that lucky. As long we continue to treat those with mental illnesses like they are subhuman, the more we forsake ourselves as rational thought beings. How does it make sense to treat someone is such a negative way over something that they can’t control? Exactly, it doesn't. So stop the stigma, and please, stop treating people with mental illness poorly. They don’t deserve the added suffering.
References and further reading:
The Media and Mental Illness
https://prideinmadness.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/the-media-and-mental-illness/
Selling Stigma: Mental Illness and The Media
http://www.cost-ofliving.net/selling-stigma-mental-illness-and-the-media/
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