September 19th, 2016
There are many stigmas attached to specific mental illnesses and mental illness as a whole. We as a society created these stigmas and continue to maintain them. I would argue that a few of these preconceived notions are actually annoying stereotypes. However, most run much deeper than that and should indeed be deemed as stigmas.
It is interesting to note that mental health concerns are actually quite prevalent. I cannot recite a specific percentage, but I do know it is a fair amount of people. Just imagine if all those people, myself included, did not believe the stigmas. Self-stigmatization is real and often gets over looked.
Please do not misinterpret this as victim blaming. Regardless of how people view themselves, they absolutely do not deserve to be stigmatized against. Many people who have a mental illness experience out right discrimination and are even denied basic human rights. I am not ignoring or denying this devastating reality. However, I do believe it is important to reflect on self-stigmatization before attempting to address it on a societal level.
I also believe that to fight stigma, there must be a larger positive presence from people who have a mental illness. This is extremely difficult because of the stigma and results in a vicious cycle. People, again including myself, keep it "hush hush" or anonymous to avoid repercussions and then society's perception of mental illness never changes. Even the little dialogue there is about mental illness is often negative and pity based. It would be helpful for society to see that there is more to mental illness than crisis.
If you have a mental illness do not embrace the stigma. You have value and you should display it to the world. Mental illness can be challenging to navigate, but it is not a flaw. It is part of the beautiful person you are and you deserve as much respect as anyone else.
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