The push these days is to make Mental Illness fall into many of the same categories as some more familiar diseases, such as diabetes. The idea is to make it seem more relatable. OK. I get that. The issue I have with this is, if it is as common as diabetes, perhaps it is also as easily treatable, not as “scary”, and therefore, easy to dismiss? If I have a headache, or something hurts, I take two Tylenol and go to bed. I wake up, and Ta-Da! All better. When someone with a mental illness is having an episode, they do not have that luxury. Medication is not sold over the counter. It is not fast-acting.Yet, the problem some people with a mental illness face already, is that even the best medications that are working properly and being taken regularly do not always work and that there are going to be bad days. Even their own loved ones may not understand. Society can be cruel, and impatient. People may not want to wait for you to feel better. They may think there should be a miracle drug out there that you can just take and be happy again. (If it were that easy, wouldn’t we already be doing it?) I worry that what once seemed like a good idea (make mental illness look like every other disease and maybe others won’t notice that it’s different) is only going to point out the fact that mental illness is very different. I also think it does nothing to reduce stigma. I am not ashamed of having mental illness. I tell people straight out because I think it’s important that they see that I am fully functioning and living a happy life. That is the best way to distinguish mental illness from other diseases.I can not pop two pills and feel better, as much as others might want me to. But I can live a full life, where someone who suffers from diabetes might be more limited. I don’t claim to know the solution, I just think that sometimes the more you try to disguise something, the more obvious it becomes. Hopefully one day no one will really even know the difference, and no one will even really care.
StigmaHurts is part of the Mental Health Awareness Committee of Ocean County, NJ All comments and questions should be directed to mail@stigmahurts.com