A big myth is that Mental Illness is not very common, this is so wrong. With almost one in five people being diagnosed with a mental health disorder, I would say, it is very common. Experts say that this myth is because people are afraid to talk about mental illness, is this true? Most people I know with a mental illness have no problem talking about it, of course once they realize they have an illness and except it. Who really doesn’t want to talk about it, I say it’s the people who either don’t have it or just don’t want to bring it into their happy lives?
Talking about Mental Illness is Taboo
We have all seen or have heard people criticize people with mental illness. Hospitals for the mentally ill are labeled “loony bins.” We joke about the “men in white” are going to take you away. Yet, we have all seen people and children suffering from cancer or another disease and we embrace them with empathy and support. I’ve read many studies on this topic but nothing with a good conclusion. Will we ever get the answer, I don’t know but I wish some of you would contact me and share your feelings about this.
Let’s talk about it and spread the awareness of mental illness
We need to talk more openly about mental illness, not just the ones living with an illness but also the ones who do not. This is the only way we will beat the stigma about mental illnesses. This stigma of mental illness is what’s killing us who are living or suffering with these illnesses. Because of this false negativity that goes along with mental illness people will continue to refuse to talk about it. Here is a simple example that you see all over social media. As you scroll through your news feed, I urge you to see what people are not only posting but what people are sharing. Sure, there are the millions of cute puppies, kittens, babies, and vacations, but there are also millions of fundraisers and awareness campaigns for diseases and illnesses, not many for mental illnesses though if any. I posted a test today on my social media. I posted a photo of my dog chewing a rope, immediately after I posted a photo for mental illness awareness with my website, www.lifewithptsd.org. Let’s see by the end of the week what has more likes or shares, I’m willing to bet the dog. This is fine, I’m not upset, well I am upset, just not upset with them. I understand people don’t want that negative stuff on their news feed or on their personal news feed. Maybe that is not the image they want to portray, maybe it makes them depressed just thinking about it, I don’t know but, what I do know is, if there wasn’t this negative attachment to mental illness then none of this would matter.
If I pretend it doesn’t exist, then it wont
I come from a security background. I understand that we have sheep, sheep dogs, and wolves. I strongly believe in this; I’ve dedicated my life to this concept. I’ve preached many times before; it is ok to be a sheep. Sheep want to live their lives as happy as can be with little to no interruptions. They want to go about their days not worrying about the wolves that roam the fields. This is the bigger percentage of the world’s population. Then there are of course the wolves. The wolves are the predators, the ones that roam the night looking to harm the sheep. What will stop the wolves and protect the flock, the sheep dogs will. The sheep dogs go out past the flock, they hunt the wolves in order to protect the sheep, they do this most of the time with out the sheep even knowing it. Again, the sheep want to live their lives of peace, they don’t want to know the wolves exist, most don’t even want to know the sheep dogs exist, they just want to live the simple life. This works and I get it but, what I do not get is why is mental illness so bad? Why is mental illness similar to the wolf? I personally know people who have mental illness in their immediate family. They have husbands with PTSD, wives with Anxiety issues or Bi-polar, Children with Depression, and what do they do, they hide it. You cannot hide mental illness; it will not go away. Again, almost one in five people have some type of mental illness.
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About the author
Keith served in the U.S. Army for over 22 years. With multiple Combat Deployments, he learned all to much about the “Invisible Wounds” that many suffer with. Diagnosed with Severe PTSD, Keith has become an advocate for Mental Health and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Through writing and public speaking he heals as he helps others heal. He is the Founder of Cars4Awareness, Inc. and the CEO of Old Sarge Company, LLC.
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