Mental Health Stigma is the #1 Reason That Makes Us More Sick!

A month ago I visited Robbie Williams exhibition in Mocco Museum in Amsterdam. Artist lives are very demanding, with tight schedules and high expectations. Because of it, he had to go to rehab a couple of times in his life. Since the 90’s, he has been making art, and in the exhibition he expresses the mental situation about mental health in his art. From his art, it is recognized that the negative feelings of shame and fear also made him strong. The art has helped him to express it out loud, and create awareness on mental health stigma.

Ending the mental health stigma is one of the messages that Robbie Williams gives in his art. This stigma has been there for centuries, that is not good to talk about mental health issues. This creates more societal pressure about mental health, which might lead to a vicious cycle.

Case 1:

Sophia (Fictional character) was a girl who had issues with saying no since childhood. When she started working for a company, she realized that she has issues with speaking up. Then she realized that this influences her mental health enormously. Her to-do’s got longer and longer; however, she had issues with defending herself. She started to experience burnout symptoms and ignored them because she did not want to look like she was failing in front of her boss. Things got out of control after a while, she got squeezed in between relentless to-do’s and an exhausted body. She still tried to survive until things got to a point that she could not ignore it anymore. She had a severe burnout that ended, changing her career and lifestyle.

If Sophie was given space or empathy from people in her environment, she might not end up this way. However, mental health is still a stigma, despite the fact that more and more people suffer from depression and burnout every day. People might be prone to mental health; however, society does not like to talk about such stuff. Then she has to pretend as she is completely ok—toxic positivity, suppression from inside, you name it. Whatever it is, completely against her mental health however she could not express it out loud because of mental health stigma.

Today in the world there are many people like Sophie who is suffering very much from inside and has to be nice to outside because of mental health stigma among the society. Daily life has become more demanding than ever, with constant information flow and unlimited possibilities because mental health stigma. However, it is not adequate to fix inner peace. With the current technology and facilities, you can get things done in a short time; however, the workload also increased in parallel to advancements in technology.

Case 2:

Jacqueline (Fictional character) grew up in a family with extremely fragile parents. She thought that she was supposed to please people, and this influenced her elder life. At work, she had many stakeholders, and she tried to please all of them. The stakeholders were so demanding and conflicting with each other that she mentally could not handle it. It got to a level that this situation influenced her sleep; however, she could not find an escape from it. Jacqueline started to get very distracted from her work and took the situation personal. She was not aware that other people were challenging her on a very different level; she blamed herself for it: “I am not good enough.” She also grew up in a home where there was lots of criticism. After a while, Jacqueline got very ill and got burnout. She had quit her job and suffered from unemployment.

In today’s work environment, there is a lot of teamwork, and people have to depend on each other. However, not everyone has the social skills to manage social professional life well. There are different types of personalities everywhere, and it can be extremely demanding to manage social professional life. However, people are suppressed because of mental health stigma and this creates more burden in them. This is a major reason for burnout. Click to read more.

The schools should educate us on more social issues like personal development. There should be lessons on empathy, meditation, boundaries, gratitude, relaxation techniques, impulsivity and anger management. This would help to create generations where there is more freedom, productivity, peace and tranquility. We should also get more education regarding mental health issues. If we are more educated about depression, anxiety, panic attacks or any other disorders that poison some people’s lives. We can show more empathy to mentally vulnerable groups so we recognize their symptoms and not accidentally push these people to the edges.

Here, I summarize three mental health issues that you might encounter where you need to show empathy for a mentally vulnerable person to help him/her is in a difficult episode.

Anxiety: This is a restless and unpleasant state of mind that is accompanied by fear, worry and apprehension. Excessive anxiety interferes with daily functioning. It is accompanied by emotional, physical and behavioral symptoms. Persistent worry; irritability; difficulty concentrating; sweating; trembling; shaking; avoidance; compulsive behaviors; trouble completing tasks; irritability; and headaches are associated with symptoms of anxiety.

Panic Attacks: Common symptoms of panic attacks are rapid heartbeat; shortness of breath; trembling or shaking; chills or hot flashes; intense fear; fear of losing control; being embarrassed and this can all be very stressful.

Depression: It might not be so easy to identify someone with depression. Mostly associated with persistent sadness; loss of interest; feeling worthless; irritability; change in appetite; being in constant withdrawal mode; sleep disturbances and pains. It can also be accompanied by reduced productivity at work. The sense of detachment from the self can also be a cause of depression.

If someone constantly talks about negative things and tends to harm themselves, that could be a sign of depression. People who are in some state of depression have a tendency to talk about self-harming. If you encounter someone, please try to show empathy to them. Also, maybe telling them that they are with them all the time is ok; people may have the need to feel safe. These people expect you to show empathy to them, recognize them and understand their situation. Here is an article that is related to the topic.

In Conclusion

Our mind is our home; the quality of our mindset plays a huge role in determining the quality of our lives. Unfortunately, some people are not that lucky, and they might have chaotic or negative minds. People struggle from inside every day. If the environment is excessively demanding, and people are unsympathetic to their needs, this mentally vulnerable group would be pushed to the edges. These people need to be understood more, and given more space. They need more attention, more patience and more validation. Try being soft to them; your support matters a lot to their lives and their wellbeing.