Your Mental Health Matters
I read an opinion piece the other day called, “Amanda Bynes, Robin Williams, and the Spectacle of Mental Illness.”* The author wrote about how when celebrities struggle with mental illness, the general public tends to gawk at and taunt those who act in bizarre manners until a person dies because they couldn’t handle it any longer. Only then it becomes a serious, grief-filled (yet, short-lived) time where those same people urge others to seek help before it’s too late. (Remember not too long ago the burst of depression-related articles and people speaking up because of the late Robin Williams?).
I found this story interesting because the general public I know will only seek help either once it’s too late and their relationships are failing, or are ashamed to admit they see a therapist because they don’t want people to think they are “crazy”, that something is “wrong” with them, or they need to be “fixed” in some way. There is a very strong stigma related to mental health and therapy, unfortunately. Many people view it in a different light than going to see a doctor or dentist for a checkup or a massage therapist or acupuncturist to relieve physical pain. Very few people decide to see a therapist for wellness purposes. When viewed this way, why not visit a mental health expert to keep your mind and emotional being at its peak just like your body? My guess is summed up in three words: shame and fear. As the author of the story I referenced earlier wrote, those with mental illness are made fun of. It is a widely-held view that if you see a therapist, you must have a mental illness, therefore, society may make you a target of ridicule. Who wants to willingly put themselves in that position? What would people think if they found out you had a therapist? Even scarier, what would you find out about yourself in therapy that could reveal something wrong about you?
From my own experience as both a client and a therapist for over 10 years, I can tell you it’s probably not as scary as you might think to engage in therapy. Your therapist is not there to judge you or tell you you’re broken. He or she is there to help you navigate through difficult situations and guide you in how to manage them better, gain the confidence to be the person you want to be, and gently walk with you through whatever troubles you may be experiencing.
My hope is that shame and fear will diminish once people begin to see the value of mental health wellness. Becoming more vulnerable about reaching out for help and releasing the veil of having everything together is key to reducing the stigma of therapy. It’s not as big of a deal as movies and TV make it out to be. You take your car to the mechanic to get the oil changed, tires rotated, and general upkeep done so it doesn’t fall apart, so why not do the same for yourself and your mental health?
Post by: Christie Sears Thompson, MA
If you are struggling with your mental health and need someone to talk to, please contact us at jedmonds@brightsidecounseling.net or 303-353-9226 to set up an appointment.
*Reference comes from http://letsqueerthingsup.com/2014/10/16/its-all-fun-and-games-until-someone-dies-amanda-bynes-robin-williams-and-the-spectacle-of-mental-illness/
