Hey, Aggies, it’s…
Basically, there is a lot of conversation about trying to break the stigma surrounding mental health and seeking help for it. More and more, people want others to feel comfortable going in asking for help, and that is truly a great thing. However, it’s hard to go and seek that help when the community in which you’ve been raised will not even talk about it.
Trying to get a conversation in with the family about seeing a therapist or talking to a counselor is hard on its own, and there is bound to be backlash. That is because the family is going to try to convince you that you’re not “crazy” and that you don’t need to talk to someone. They say, “Just talk to me.” “Tell me what’s going on.” “You’re fine.” “We don’t tell our personal problems to other people because then they gossip.”
They continue, “Now when you talk about feeling depressed or if you have anxiety the conversation changes to depression? You have a house, a car, you go to school, you have food on the table… Your friends you go out with make you so depressed. No, no, just go eat something or sleep. You will feel better tomorrow.”
But that is not how this actually works. Reaching out is the hardest thing to do, and when it’s not acknowledged it makes things harder.
Let’s say an individual does get treatment. That individual will not be allowed to talk about it in a family function. If an aunt or uncle asks, “Oh, how is so-and-so doing?” there will be no mention of that individual feeling sick. Rather, it will be covered up and they will be told that “everything’s fine” because it’s such a taboo thing to talk about, especially if it suggests that their child is “mentally unstable.”
This lack of communication is dangerous because communication is the one thing that will lead to somebody ever getting the treatment if their own family and culture collectively look down on it. Thankfully, you can turn to your friends even when your support system back home will not. But still, I encourage you to talk to anybody who will hear, regardless of what they might think.
None of the images used belong to the author or Her Campus UC Davis.