A Conversation We Need to Have

About a year ago now, I was diagnosed with depression, with underlying anxiety disorder. Only recently have I become vocal about the state of my mental health, and I’m not alone; we (those who suffer from a mental illness) are looking to break the stigma of having an  illness that too often is not perceived to be one.

Approximately 58 million Americans suffer from from mental illnesses, ranging from depression to anxiety to schizophrenia, and other illnesses. After discovering that I had what is called a serotonin imbalance, a hereditary aspect of depression, I kept it under wraps. Why? Because many Americans believe that mental illnesses are a sign of insanity and instability, and generalize many people who suffer from illnesses as people who are ‘crazy.’

When mental health does come up as part of the national dialogue it is just for the purpose of scapegoating.  Conservative politicians, for example, scapegoat mental health in order to turn attention away from the issue of gun control.  If gun violence is being perpetrated by “crazy people” only then we don’t need to do anything about it, this argument says.  Yet according to the American Journal of Public Health, databases that track gun homicides, such as the National Center for Health Statistics, show that fewer than 5 percent of the 120,000 gun-related killings in the United States between 2001 and 2010 were perpetrated by people diagnosed with mental illness.

Recently, many people, including celebrities, are becoming more vocal about their mental illnesses. Actress Kristen Bell, in an interview with People.com, came out as someone with a mental illness.

“I’m extremely co-dependent,” Bell, 35, told People.com. “I shatter a little bit when I think people don’t like me. That’s part of why I lead with kindness and I compensate by being very bubbly all the time because it really hurts my feelings when I know I’m not liked. And I know that’s not very healthy and I fight it all the time.”

A lot of people, including me, believe  there is a conversation that needs to be had. No longer can we sit in the dark about this. “Crazy” is a generic term which is meaningless in this context.. Having a mental disorder really doesn’t mean you’re “crazy.” any more than having diabetes or heart disease does.  It just means you have a medical problem that needs needs treatment.

Would a family member or friend think any less of you for having leukemia? Cancer? The flu? Then why should they think any less of you for having depression or anxiety? If they do, they are the ones who need education and to be more open-minded.  No longer can this be someone’s best-kept secret.