Being healthy is an integral part of human life. Along with that, it is natural for us to get sick from time to time. There are also possibilities of more severe or chronic illnesses developing within a family. As a society, we all tend to sympathize with and understand physical illness and overlook mental illness. Not only do mental disorders lack awareness, but they are also stigmatized and made fun of.
Why? Why do we as a society run to help people who break their bones, but ignore people who are diagnosed with depression? What makes it okay to joke about people with mental disorders, when we would never think of joking about someone who has cancer? I hear it all the time: “This is giving me anxiety,” “I was like so depressed,” or “I had to clean because my OCD was kicking in.” There’s nothing funny about having a mental disorder just like there’s nothing funny about having a physical illness. We would never imagine saying, “I got so sunburnt that I have skin cancer,” or “I ate so much sugar so now I have diabetes.” Why is it that disorders of the brain get made fun while any type of illness should never be ridiculed? The bottom line is that we all need to respect others way more in our lives. Making fun of someone for an illness, something they cannot control, is never okay.
I encourage everyone reading this to think about what they say, especially when talking about mental illness and realize that mental and emotional health affects everyone. You don’t have to be diagnosed with a mental disorder to care about your mental health. Besides, like any other illness, mental illness does not discriminate so take care of yourselves, be happy, lend a hand to a friend in need, and be supportive of yourself and your loved ones! Keep calm, carry on, stay strong!