Article 1Sutible for The Guardian under their Mental Health section. Written by Ella Sedman
MEN TAL H E A
Breaking The Stigma
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ith forever changing health epidemics across Britain, 2015 will surely bring with it a new daunting health campaign. 2014 saw the outbreak and global panic of Ebola, yet one taboo subject which is ignored and overlooked is mental health.With one in three individuals suffering from mental health problems in their lifetime, the youth of today are dealing with this negative stigma. “I think mental health is a closed issue, therefore people are afraid to talk about it,” says 19-year-old Sam Leeming, from Manchester, who has suffered from panic attacks. “With the rise of internet use, unfortunately victimisation can occur if people open up about their issues.” With continuing technological advancements, 21st century society has been especially dominated by social media. Socially practical and easily accessible, social media websites can actually provide resources and support to people with mental health issues. However, use of the internet commonly leads to incorrect, self-diagnosis. Alongside this, social media can also provide a platform of judgement by allowing people to voice negative and often wholly inaccurate opinions on mental health. Via the internet, such negative, easy-to-find opinions could potentially be discouraging honest, open and constructive conversations about mental health. With today’s youth being the prime generation to be affected by this, other
modern-day problems could be adding to the societal pressures of being ‘normal’. With the number of people suffering with anxiety and depression at an all-time high, many contemporary adolescent problems may be the cause. Becoming one of the most common life choices for many teenagers, attending university has become the social norm. However, unsurprisingly this higher level of education comes with added stress and the potential pressures applied by parents to succeed, particularly when taking into account the considerable costs involved. Although many cope fine, this increased work-load and pressure could result in students developing anxiety and even depression. Psychiatric nurse Alison Sedman, makes comment regarding her role in mental health care and its place in society. “Although everybody relates to stress, there are certain generational pressures today such as media related pressure which hasn’t been such an issue in the past,” she says. “This includes looking good, doing well and consistently being in contact with others. Combined with more easily accessible drugs and the embarrassment surrounding seeking help, there is plenty of room for improvement.” Alongside these generational pressures, Alison also says, “there is a lack of understanding and therefore a fear of being judged”. One social barrier that increasingly appears to be a source of many of these issues is communication. With mental health affecting such a significant portion of the public, it’s shocking
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“If you have a mental illness, people automatically question if you’re dangerous, what you’re cable of or if you’re even a potential threat”.
how concealed this subject is. A lack of education among younger generations may be causing ignorance and therefore allowing incorrect interpretations of mental health to be formed. Introducing more informative, in-depth classes in school could potentially combat absence of understanding of mental health issues. Hopefully, an increased knowledge and awareness within society would reduce acts of discrimination. To gain a different perspective on the issue, 21-year-old Leeds student ‘Anna’ discussed living with her mental illness, schizophrenia. As requested, Anna’s name has been changed to remain anonymous. “Sadly there is a massive issue surrounding mental health, I find it difficult to discuss my condition with new people. If you have a mental illness, people automatically question if you’re dangerous, what you’re capable of or if you’re even a potential threat. I wish I
could be more open about my mental health issues as they are a significant part of me. However, a common assumption people make is that you’re attention seeking which is hard to overcome. Without the support of my family and friends and mental health organisations, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.” Encouragingly, for those suffering from mental health issues, certain campaigns such as Time To Change are combatting the negative connotations associated with mental health. Run by the leading mental health charities, Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, Time To Change encourages communication and openness regarding the issue. Alongside supported people suffering from mental illness, they also inform friends or family on how to support those who posses a mental illness. However, evidently societal opinions need to change to positively support such influential campaigns.
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Psychiatric nurse Alison says “[young people] think they should just ‘pull themselves together’ and ‘get on with it’ when dealing with mental illness.” Previously explored issues such as current societal pressure, lack of educational awareness and poor communication could be influencing this conscious decision to ignore signs of mental illness. Promoting these important, modern-day contributing factors and changing societal attitudes that mental illness is no different to any other medical condition, could hopefully promote a positive, open society for future generations.
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