Nadia Buckus
Continued from last week:
When I think back on my experience of stigma and negativity towards my health, I honestly have to say the majority of views come from a lack of understanding.
READ PART ONE: BLOG: Understanding mental health – part one
There are a handful of people who are just rude, small-minded and mean, but on the whole I believe that stigmatising views derive from a lack of knowledge.
The more people could understand, the less they would fear and I’d like to think the more they would support.
Some comments I’ve heard in the past include:
• You don’t look depressed to me.
• You’re too pretty to be psycho.
• Don’t tell anyone about those weird things you do, you won’t be able to get a job or a boyfriend.
• What has somebody your age got to be depressed about?
• You need to toughen up, in my day we had to.
• Not another one on this attention-seeking mental health hype.
• Tablets won’t help, get out more.
Growing up, we may not have learnt much about mental health problems amid our education of nouns and verbs, but education doesn’t end at childhood.
I’m starting to learn about many new diagnoses, about the importance of looking after my mental health and just how common mental illness is.
READ MORE: BLOG: Supporting family with addiction problems
For anyone hiding their experiences for fear of being alone, the best lesson I have learnt is that we’re not.
The brain is complex, clever and often confusing but no matter how alone your thoughts make you feel, there is a big wide world out there with so many others that understand. Remember, it’s okay to talk.
Disclaimer: The views in this blog is not the views of the Estcourt and Midlands News, and any advice here in should be followed after proper consultation with an expert in the subject matter discussed in the blog.
Click to receive news links via WhatsApp. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
