Self-confidence, the ability to solve problems, adapt to new conditions and achieve goals are signs of mental health. It can stagger at any time due to a variety of reasons, including stress, an accelerated pace of life, and even poor nutrition. The presence of a disorder without qualified treatment always reduces a person's quality of life, often making it burdensome and dangerous to others.
Bipolar disorder, borderline personal disorder and panic attacks - it appears that today, everyone knows what these diagnoses mean. However, the trend to de-stigmatize mental disorders has had an unintended consequence: a "fashion" for these illnesses has emerged, and they are increasingly being attributed to themselves by people who have nothing to do with such diagnoses.
Why did it become a "trend"? What are the consequences of romanticizing mental illnesses? And why it is wrong in every way possible?
The definition of Mental Illnesses
According to the Urban Dictionary, mental illness is a defect in the minds function. Simply, mental illnesses are diseases that cause disturbances in the thinking, behavior and emotional state of a person.
There are many reasons for the appearance and development of mental illness. Among the main factors are such as: hereditary, biological, psychological and social ones.
And what about statistics?
- 970 million people worldwide have a mental health or substance abuse disorder. ( Our World in Data )
- It is estimated that mental disorders are attributable to 14.3% of deaths worldwide, or approximately 8 million deaths each year. ( JAMA Psychiatry )
- 21% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2020 (52.9 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults. ( National Alliance on Mental Illness )
- For 2017 this study estimates that 792 million people live with a mental health disorder. This is slightly more than one in ten people globally ( Our World in Data )
- The percentage of young adults aged 18-25 years with AMI ( Any Mental Illnesses ) who received mental health services (42.1%) was lower than adults with AMI aged 26-49 years (46.6%) and aged 50 and older (48.0%) ( National Institute of Mentall Health )
There are hundreds of mental illnesses...
There are over 200 different mental illnesses in the world. Some of them are widely known and some of them are so rare that they are barely talked about. Lets take a look at 5 of the most popular mental diseases.
1. Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive psychosis, is a morbidity that occurs with atypical mood swings, fluctuations in the energy level of abilities and occurs.
According to statistics, bipolar disorder affects people from 14 to 44 years old. Unlike adults, children and adolescents experience more frequent mood swings from mania to depression, sometimes several times a day.
2. Depression
Lack of vitality, unwillingness to get out of bed, a bad mood for a long time and even unwillingness to live are all signs of depression.
When the pathology is in an advanced form, then a person has the following symptoms of depression - not only a bad mood and impotence, but also persistent disorders of the nervous system.
3. Borderline personal disorder
Borderline personality disorder is characterized by anxiety, emotional instability, impulsive behavior, and frequent mood swings.
People with BPD divide the world into "black" and "white", and among all the symptoms, the fear of being abandoned is clearly expressed.
4. Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder is a personality disorder in which a person seeks solitude and social isolation. Characterized by a constant fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed.
Flushing, trembling, nausea, intense sweating, and difficulty speaking are common symptoms of this condition. It's frequently tough to meet new people and establish relationships when you have these symptoms.
5. Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a severe polymorphic mental disorder accompanied by a bifurcation of the intellectual and emotional-volitional functions.
People can no longer adequately perceive reality and have pathological behavioral characteristics that do not allow them to live a normal life.
How did it even become trendy?
Lets take a look at the past. It used to be fashionable to imitate "tumblr girls" who wore mostly black clothes, languidly lined their eyes, posted blog posts about being tired of misunderstanding the whole world, and represented the image of sickly unfortunate people.
Now, many people who, it would appear, should be grateful that they have nothing to do with mental diseases have turned them into a form of self-expression and attention.
Why is it dangerous?
There is a "side effect" to raising public knowledge about mental illness: people begin to hunt for indicators of a particular problem on their own.
However, diagnosing yourself and prescribing a course of treatment using only information from the Internet is very dangerous for health.
The presence of a large number of forums where people with problems discuss their prescribed pharmaceutical regimens, including prescription names and dosages, only adds to the problem.
On social media sites like Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram, we can see examples of people paying little attention to mental illness and sugarcoating it. Where accounts are formed with the express purpose of charming and normalizing mental illness.
Opinion of people
" I have personally seen this too many times in my life, and have felt the anger and frustration of hearing others complain about something as critical as mental health. I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and panic attacks, which I have struggled with for most of my life. It hurts me to see people claim to have mental disorders out of proper context " - By ANYA MARQUARDT
I hope this article helped you to realize the importance of breaking the stigma around mental illnesses and stopping romanization.
