Social Stigma of Mental Illnesses in Society/// Mental Health Awareness Week 2018

Hi beauties, I’m back with another post as promised for Mental Health Awareness Week. Yesterday, I opened up to you all with my personal story on dealing with anxiety, I was planning to share another one of those with you all today on the other mental illness I struggle with, however I do not feel ready to open up about it just yet. Today’s post is just as good though and open about the discussion of mental illness.

Mental Illness is somewhat of a taboo subject in society. When we think about mental illness, a social stigma comes into play. It’s quite unfortunate, but many people are still uneducated about mental illnesses and do not realize that it is a real serious issue that affects millions of people throughout the world.

Part of the reason that mental illness is a taboo subject is the fear of being objectified and labeled in today’s society. For me and I’m sure many other people out there as well, I feared that I would be labeled as an “attention seeker” or “freak”. It’s common nowadays that people have to worry about what others are going to label them as, and it’s the awful truth. To all the people reading this out there,  if you’ve ever been labeled something, just know that those people do not understand what you’re going through nor mental illnesses in fact, they are not inside your head, only you are.

In this post I also want to establish some problematic things that people with a mental illness do not want to hear from someone who does not have a mental illness.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hear someone say “get over it or snap out of your attitude”. I cannot simply get over something that has been bringing me pain for years, it’s not something that I will ever get over in a snap of your fingers. For people who have ever said this, they simply do not understand mental illnesses at all, I don’t care if they say they do, because someone would understand the severity to not say those phrases to you.

Another problematic thing that people hate to hear, are comparisons with other people’s mental health. Mental illness is a spectrum like many things on this planet, you cannot compare one person’s illness to the other person’s illness. Levels of severity range and everyone has a different situation, so just a reminder to not compare people’s illness and health.

This last one is a PSA for people who do not understand this concept, that being said, “STOP USING MENTAL ILLNESSES AS ADJECTIVES”, mental disorders are not meant to be thrown around in your daily conversations! It’s extremely disrespectful and hurtful to those with mental illnesses. Please take them out of your vocabulary and educate yourself. Also while we’re at it, let’s get rid of the “R word”, it’s offensive and unacceptable.

One last thing I want to touch base on is a bit controversial, therefore I am going to add a ****TRIGGER AHEAD****. Stop saying “kms or kys”, I cannot express how much that infuriates me, because that’s something serious and it’s not to be made fun of. People take that seriously (as most people should), and it’s offensive to all those that have suffered from suicidal thoughts and ideation.

Hopefully this post gives you all insight on mental illnesses and the stigma that comes with it. It’s important to acknowledge and know these factors to help make yourself more aware on the issues that people with mental illnesses struggle with on a daily basis.

You are all beautiful souls. ♡

Check out my last post: My Anxiety Story///Mental Health Awareness Week 2018

Connect with me on my social media: Instagram//Facebook//VSCO//Poshmark//