While it may not be evident to some, the use of the word ‘crazy’ in the title of this article is meant to be facetious. We use words like crazy, nuts, psycho, and paranoid so ubiquitously in society that we forget the origins of their definitions in the way that we use them. Our continued use of these descriptors perpetuates the labels and resulting stigma that we place on people who experience a variety of mental health issues. During October, Mental Health Awareness month, it seems more important than ever to demystify this stigma and work towards eradicating it.
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines stigma as “a mark of shame or discredits, an identifying mark or characteristic specifically, a specific diagnostic sign of a disease”. Stigma occurs when a person miscategorized someone through inaccurate definitions of a mental illness rather than who they are as an individual. For example, someone might say, “that person is insanely OCD” or “my ex is so psychotic”. We tend to categorize people’s behaviors with generic misconceptions of what a mental illness may look like, for example, “she’s acting so bipolar”.
Some common societal misconceptions of mental illness are that:
- People with mental health issues are violent, not curable, unpredictable, weak, possess character flaws, had a poor upbringing, are unproductive/unsuccessful, and bizarre
- People with a personality disorder are difficult to deal with
- People with schizophrenia are dangerous
- People with depression are lazy or ‘just need to get over it’
- People with anxiety are erratic or avoidant
- People with bipolar disorder are wildly moody and unstable
- Women are just ‘emotional’
- People use their mental health as an excuse for things
- Addiction is not a disease, it’s a choice and shows a lack of willpower
For people with mental health issues, the social stigma and discrimination they experience can make their problems worse, making it harder to recover. It may also cause someone to avoid getting the help they need because of the fear of being judged or scrutinized. For example, according to Psychology Today, men are taught by society not to share emotions or show weakness, which means that men are less likely to seek mental health care than women. One in four women will seek treatment for depression at some point in their lives, compared to only one in 10 men. This makes it appear that women actually do suffer from depression more than men, but it’s highly likely that it seems that way as men do not seek help when they need it.
Stigmas associated with mental health issues come from misguided views that these individuals are ‘different’ from everyone else. Society has stereotyped views about mental illness and how it affects people. The role of media in mental health stigmas also cannot be denied. News reports, shows, and movies often link mental illness with violence or portray those with mental health issues as dangerous, criminal, evil, severely dysfunctional, or disabled. There are stigmas surrounding all types of qualities, characteristics, and circumstances, but where does stigma surrounding mental health come from, and why is it so prominent despite the fact that 46.2% of society reports experiencing mental illness?
Early humans widely believed that mental illness was the result of supernatural phenomena such as spiritual or demonic possession, sorcery, and the evil eye which led to caution, fear, cruel treatment, and discrimination. Trephining, a procedure in which a hole, or trephine, was chipped into the skull using crude stone instruments, first occurred around 10,000 B.C. It was believed that through this opening the evil spirit(s) thought to be inhabiting someone’s head and causing their mental health issue would be released, and the individual would be cured.
In ancient Mesopotamia, priest-doctors treated the mentally ill with religious rituals as mental illness was believed to mask demonic possession. Exorcisms, incantations, prayer, atonement, and other various mystical rituals were used to drive out the evil spirit. Throughout history, several cultures and groups of people have demonstrated their own nuanced misconceptions surrounding mental health. Hebrews believed that all mental illness was inflicted upon humans by God as punishment for committing sin, whereas ancient Persians attributed mental illness to demons and believed that good health could be achieved through proper precautions to prevent and protect one from diseases which included adequate hygiene and purity of the mind and body achieved through good deeds and thoughts.
Ancient Egyptians treated mental illness by recommending that someone afflicted engage in recreational activities such as concerts, dances, and painting in order to relieve symptoms. In China, the mentally ill were concealed by their families for fear that the community would believe that the affliction was the result of immoral behavior by the individual and/or their relatives and was thought to have a “bad fate” that would negatively influence anyone who associated with the disturbed individual.
In all of these ancient civilizations, mental illness was attributed to some supernatural force or thought to afflicted an individual or group of people as punishment for their misdeeds. While beliefs about mental illness and proper treatments were altered and, in some cases, advanced in Europe between the 5th and 3rd centuries B.C., the treatment of those with mental illnesses continued to be abhorrent, and the establishment of asylums and institutions were widely used in which patients were abused and restrained. For those cared for by their families, the shame and stigma attached to mental illness caused many to hide their mentally ill family members in cellars, cage them in pigpens, put them under the control of servants, or abandon them and leave them to a life of begging and homelessness.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and we still find global society continuing to label and mistreat those with mental illness despite ever-growing awareness, understanding, prevalence, and compassion. In order to continue to combat and expel negative stereotypes and stigma surrounding mental health-related needs, we as a society (starting with us as individuals) need to be as open and honest about mental health as possible. This can be in the form of advocating for a mental health organization, being approachable and providing a space of safety for others to talk about their mental health needs, and being reasonably open and honest when you’re mental health is affecting you. Instead of saying, “I’m just feeling a bit down today”, you can rephrase that to be, “my depressed mood is really bothering me today”. Another example would be stating that your social anxiety is really triggered by the thought of going to a social event instead of “I’m just not feeling very social today”.
The more we normalize these symptoms and mental health needs, the more people will feel comfortable with expressing their own, thereby creating a greater sense of community and support. When almost half of our society reports having a mental health diagnosis or experiencing mental illness, it is ludicrous that we aren’t more open about this topic. We’re all human, after all, and part of being human is experiencing mental health issues just as any other need such as a hangnail, headache, or sleep apnea. Let’s get the conversation started and release the long-standing stigma surrounding mental health.