{"id":42401,"date":"2021-03-14T11:43:02","date_gmt":"2021-03-14T03:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/?p=42401"},"modified":"2021-03-14T11:43:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T03:43:02","slug":"whats-with-the-stigma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/?p=42401","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s with the Stigma?!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

CANDLEinthestorm<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you know that there is such thing as a Mental Health Awareness Week (Oct 6-12 in USA)?<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t even know it existed till last year. But then again, we have National Coffee Day, National Pancake Day\u2026you name it, they probably have a day\/week for it.<\/p>\n

One thing I enjoy doing in my spare time is reading up articles on mental health (yup\u2026such a fun hobby). A common point I notice that is often mentioned, is the stigma associated with mental illnesses.<\/p>\n

Stigma (noun): A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person (dictionary.reference.com)<\/p>\n

In other words, a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something.<\/p>\n

Stigmas are all too real for people dealing with mental illnesses, and often the fear of being judged by society would be the biggest reason as to why so many choose to stay quiet about it. Truth is, society feels uncomfortable about mental illnesses and they are not seen on the same level as physical illnesses. Misunderstandings have led people to believe that all people with a mental illness have a weak character, are feeble-minded, simply overreacting, or are attention seekers.<\/p>\n

But why would you call them attention seekers? If people with mental illnesses were such \u2018attention seekers\u2019\u2026wouldn\u2019t it be obvious who had a mental illness and who didn\u2019t? Why are they considered \u2018invisible\u2019 illnesses then?<\/p>\n

You know the majority of us do not realise how many mentally ill people they know and encounter each day. It could be your friends, family, co-workers\u2026anyone! The thing is, you wouldn\u2019t know if someone was diagnosed with a mental illness until they\u2019ve told you so themselves. But usually they\u2019d choose not to.<\/p>\n

Simple reason for that is the fear of being judged \u2013 the stigma.<\/p>\n

Most of our views towards mental illnesses have been distorted through inaccurate representations and strongly held beliefs by society. The media doesn\u2019t help much either. It\u2019s done its fair share of damage in supporting a distorted view on mental illness. I mean, have you ever heard someone comment about how television characters who are violent, aggressive or unpredictable, often have his or her behaviour linked to a mental illness? Of course!<\/p>\n

Not to mention how most news coverage relating to mental illness occurs only when it\u2019s related to violence. And who could forget the casual use of the words \u2018crazy\u2019, \u2018insane\u2019 that almost always go alongside jokes about those who are mentally ill. I mean\u2026all these things are just reinforcing the inaccuracies related to mental illness that we have been led to believe in.<\/p>\n

So I guess I wasn\u2019t too surprised when I read a sentence from an article, which stated that many people suffering from a mental illness have felt like the stigma associated is often worse than the illness itself. Due to the stigma, the most common reaction that someone with a mental illness would face, is fear and rejection \u2013 either by his\/her friends, community\u2026and sometimes even their own families. The stigma attached is so strong that even those who suspect they might be suffering from a mental illness would be too afraid to seek help. As a result, families would often delay looking for help for their child because of fear, as well as the shame they might face \u2013 and partners would often be reluctant to define their spouse as \u2018mentally ill\u2019. But that is in no way helpful those who need it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just sweeping the dust under the carpet basically.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the basis of this dilemma is the way we view mental health. Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg, or your brain, it\u2019s still an illness and there should be no distinction.\u201d \u2013 Michelle Obama<\/p>\n

Mental illness does not discriminate. 1 in 4 people will experience a mental illness at some point in his or her lifetime and it affects people of all ages, education level, family background etc. Dandruff affects 1 in 5 people\u2026so it\u2019s more common than dandruff (and dandruff is pretty common\u2026)<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, there is no distinct way to develop a mental illness. Genetic factors can cause the onset of some mental illnesses, and so can factors such as environmental stressors, or unpleasant childhood experiences.<\/p>\n

So no. No one \u2018wants\u2019 to have a mental illness. Nobody \u2018asks\u2019 to have a mental illness.<\/p>\n

Bottom line is \u2013 Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, OCD\u2026these aren\u2019t made up. It could affect anyone from all walks of life. I know this topic can be uncomfortable for some, and that\u2019s okay. It is not a widely talked about topic and many of us still don\u2019t understand it at all- experts themselves are still trying to understand it themselves.<\/p>\n

But I suppose the most effective way to lessen the stigma associated would be to raise more awareness about these issues. Chances are we\u2019ve all been affected by mental illnesses, either through our own experiences, or through someone we know. I know I have. And I\u2019ve seen how society reacts to these issues and how families would rather keep hush about it.<\/p>\n

Keeping hush hush about mental illnesses do not help the ones affected and it only adds to the stigma!<\/p>\n

It is not easy to deal with mental illnesses. You so desperately want the ones around you to understand\u2026but how can you when in reality, you don\u2019t even understand it yourself??<\/p>\n

\nBy Tiff, currently studying in KL<\/span><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CANDLEinthestorm Did you know that there is such thing as a Mental Health Awareness Week (Oct 6-12 in USA)? I didn\u2019t even know it existed till last year. But then again, we have National Coffee Day, National Pancake Day\u2026you name it, they probably have a day\/week for it. One thing I enjoy doing in my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[238,286,10],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42401"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scaccmm.sarawakmethodist.org\/new\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}