Mental Health Illnesses=Cool?

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Hey Everyone!!

Welcome to Mental Health Awareness Month!

So, we all may have a come across with at least one person in our lives who might have used the name of a mental disorder incorrectly. I've had my share too. I have seen a lot of people claim that they are "depressed" or have "anxiety" without really knowing what it is. Took me a while to understand why they said stuff like this, but when found out the reason I was appalled.

To look cool, duh

"Seriously?!" That was my exact reaction-in every tone imaginable.

Sarcastic, shocked, surprised, amazed, aghast and what not!

This very encounter is the reason why I chose to write to write on this topic and throw some light on why having a mental illness IS NOT "COOL".

For starters, why would you want to diagnose yourself with something you don't have? You wouldn't do that if  it were a physical illness, right? You wouldn't say that you've gotten a fracture when its simply a sprain right? Then why would you do it with a mental illness? Why would you call yourself "depressed" if you're simply just sad over a small thing that you will surely come out of in a few days?

By calling yourself such terms, when you know you don't mean it that way, just undermines the weight of the situation of the other-the one who's actually going through it.

This is just one of the reason it is NOT cool to "self-diagnose" or just do it because of the "trend".

There are very real people going through situations such as these and it is not easy for this; this has to be understood by each and everyone. 

No one "wants" to be going through this. Telling you from the community of people I have engaged with, nobody enjoys this. No one likes those intrusive thoughts meddling in your daily life 24x7. People want to escape this. 

So, please try understanding that when you're saying stuff like "I have anxiety. I'm so anxious about my exam results" and "I was in my room listening to Billie Eilish for 4 hours straight. I'm so depressed" it is simply just wrong. You as an individual have to start minding the language you're speaking and at least try educating yourself about common terms and what they actually mean. Please understand that people going through this are surviving hell an you are just subverting their trauma and problems by using such language. We have to stop making it look "cool" on social media.

If you feel that your mental health is deteorating, get professional help. Reach out to a trustable adult. Don't misdiagnose yourself. 

MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESSES ARE NOT A JOKE.

GET THAT STRAIGHT.

We all may have endorsed in this earlier and that's okay. You were unaware. What is not okay is when you continue using it, even when you know that it is wrong. This is what you should try stopping; because only if you stop, will it create a change on others.

 That was it for today's post. My main purpose here was to make it to light that these kind of things are still very much used in life and should be brought to a halt at the soonest. I know it may have come across as a "rant post"; so sorry about that!!

 Thank you so much for reading-hope y'all liked it!! Don't forget to share and subscribe if you enjoyed it and drop off your experiences in my dm's or in the comments below about encounters you may have had and how you dealt with them!

Signing off,

Kuhu :)

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 7, 2021 at 5:28 PM

    While I do agree that sometimes people use these words inappropriately, I wouldn't say it's because they want to be "cool". Often people use words like depression and anxiety because they don't want others to think they are going through something, so they sarcastically say they are depressed, but at the same time, they actually want someone to know what they are going through and that they are not ok. One might also use these words to draw attention towards themselves and their problems, that is to tell others that they are upset and need help. But yes, joking about it and not actually meaning it is not a good practice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Damselz-In-SanityMay 7, 2021 at 5:52 PM

    Yes, I agree with you.
    I've noticed and have taken into account many people whom I personally know who do that and I thought of it to be a matter needed to discussed. However yes, many people who might not exactly be going through them may tend to use the terms of dealing with certain mental illnesses.
    At times one may disguise help in the form of slyly mentioning these terms in a joking manner. It is important for one to recognize when the other is joking or actually means it, which is the reason we should help eliminate the "cool/joke" part of it. As it is not common to realize the other is going through this, a person should feel comfortable opening up about it and that their feelings should not be treated as a joke.

    Thank you for your input :)

    ReplyDelete

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