What is the first thing that crosses your mind, when you think of the word “mental”? If it reminds you of other words like crazy, mad, asylum, insanity etc. this indicates that you have succumbed to society’s Stigma towards mental health.
You may be wondering what is stigma and where does it come from?
Stigma is simply the unfair discrimination and disapproval towards anyone or anything that falls short of social expectations. Often time’s these social expectations are insensitive and unrealistic standards that add pressure on people. Stigma towards mental health is usually learnt in social settings and through media misrepresenting the cause. The damage done by the unfair blaming and shaming of mental health patients has led to countless preventable deaths by suicide. The only way to eradicate the rippling effects of stigma is through educating oneself and others.
As a community we must fight against ignorance, because this is a matter of life and death! Let’s understand why mental health has been associated with shame in our society:
The need for social approval: The honor-shame culture, often insinuates the message that a person’s worth is directly correlated with their social standing. Social approval is considered as an absolute mandate in our society. Most people have been conditioned since childhood, to behave in socially acceptable ways and live under the pressure of maintaining personal and professional success; ‘What will people think?’ is the fear of being viewed as a failure. Social approval is the chief causes for mental health struggles to be kept in the dark for so long.
Psychological scars are invisible: Since emotional wounds are not visible to the naked eye, psychological distress is often labelled as “irresponsibility, attention-seeking, over-reaction, hyper-sensitivity or pessimism”. Mental illness has been misconstrued as not having any physical components, which is absolutely untrue! Chemical imbalance in the brain, continued exposure to environmental stressors and genetics are all causative factors for the onset of psychological decline. Underestimating the reality of these psychological wounds is another reason for mental health to be considered taboo in society.
Vulnerability mistaken for weakness: Speaking openly about one’s mental health struggle is often perceived as a sign of weakness; yet the opposite is true. It takes more courage to speak up than stay silent. It takes a lot of strength to be honest about one’s struggle than most people realize! The overemphasis of ‘false strength’ has caused many people to suffer in silence.
Silence has only perpetuated these misconceptions. The best way to deal with this issue is to use your voice to spread awareness! Do your part by sharing this article and read more about practical steps to deal with the social stigma against mental health. There is no shame in experiencing psychological and it time to put an end to this lie!
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