Written by Alycia Dort
What is it that makes one feel as though they must be ashamed when they suffer from a mental illness?
Is it the manner in which the media portrays a person with schizophrenia as someone to be afraid of? Is it the way our "friends" or enemies tell us "don't be so bipolar" as some sort of joke when we aren't feeling ourselves? Or is it perhaps the misunderstanding and overuse of the term 'Depression'?
Perhaps it is all of these combined, along with several other contributors to what has become a stigmatic battle for the 20% of Canadians who will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lives.
The reality about Mental Illnesses is that they are just that- Illnesses. Disorders. They are not a mood, a feeling, or simply a state of mind. They are very real, very prominent and in many cases, very painful. They sometimes linger in the background, and sometimes stand at the forefront of a patient's life. But why is it more painful for a patient than it needs to be? From someone who has struggled with mental illness for the better part of 9 years, I will tell you.
There are many factors at play when we look at the root cause of any mental illness; Genetics, biological, personality and environmental factors. They all work hand and hand in causing these illnesses. In many cases, patients have also experienced trauma throughout their childhood.
The way a patient most often feels when they lack the support and treatment they require is lost, misunderstood and helpless. It is very difficult to explain to someone what is wrong with you when you don't even know yourself- When what you are feeling cannot be put into words, and when those around you are telling you that you are crazy, melodramatic, weird, or demanding for you to "get over it". These unacceptable reactions come from both ignorance, and arrogance, and make a patient feel as though he or she is inconveniencing your life with their "problems", and that they are not worthy. It takes what is actually a serious illness, and makes it to appear as nothing more than a bad day.
Do you know what it feels like to make the courageous decision to reach out for help in desperation and fear, only to be told there is no hope? That 'this is life, and you have to deal with it'? I do. And it destroys you. It dims what little light you happen to have left until you begin to think that maybe you are beyond help, or that you simply are not equipped to deal with what you were told are the 'normal struggles of life'.
Suffering from a mental illness is not a normal struggle of life. There is a difference between feeling angry or down or upset, and feeling sad is not the same as suffering from Depression. Unfortunately, in today's society, these terms are all used interchangeably, normalizing an illness into a mere emotion, and cultivating this long-held misunderstanding.
Canada is now ranked as the third country in the world in terms of highest rate of suicide among youth, and we are losing approximately 4,000 lives each year due to the lack of support and understanding of mental health disorders. So, I ask you again; Why is someone suffering from a mental illness made to feel as though they should be ashamed? Why is society not lending a compassionate hand instead of mockery and what you consider "tough love"?
Finally, I ask: How can you turn your back on someone who reaches out to you in need, and pass judgement and ignorance without having walked in their shoes, and felt their struggle?
Not every disability is visible, and I challenge you to keep both an open heart and mind, and to educate yourself. Try to imagine, even for a minute, what you would feel like in a world where you are made to be ashamed of yourself because of your struggle.
Alycia
