Mental Illness and society

by Tahir Rawther

As with physical illness, people can suffer from an acute episode of mental illness, or have a long-term, chronic psychiatric or psychological condition.

It should be understood that every people are born genetically different; having different from the rest. This variation in genetics can affect from your skin tone, physical, physiological, and even your psychological differences. People can be born with a mind that would obviously different than the one that you normally accustomed to as how some people are born with different disabilities (it seems people have a hard time to grasp this concept).

Madness is in the eye of the beholder — the people that seem out of the ordinary of the norm, the deviancy that they witness are described by the society not accustomed to the psychological and psychiatric differences as mad and unfortunately, even until now, treated horribly as less than human. They are not “mad”, their mind functions differently due to the chemical imbalance in the brain, to psychological traumas that affect them deeply or how their chromosomes are different (and to alter this requires quantum level technology).

Contemporarily, there are several ways of defining abnormal psychology that takes into consideration whether the individuals who are suffering can function adequately in society, whether the distress affects their daily life, and how far they are different from the “normal” level of mental health. Throughout the human history, mental illness had been explained in three different methods : Supernatural [Demons, spirits, deity’s punishment], biological, and the psychological.

In the absence of any better idea, mental illness and disorder sufferer are blamed on themselves for being “afflicted” with the illness & disorders and often they are co-blamed with gods, spirits, demons being part of the reason why they are “ill”.

For example, epilepsy, now considered as a neurological disorder, was once regarded for millennia as a sign of madness being the symptoms seizures, loss of consciousness, drooling are misunderstood as a sign of madness or even being possessed. Even until today, in some part of global south countries epilepsy are considered to be caused by witchcraft, possession by the devil or evil spirit or even a divine punishment by the God for their failure to observe rituals and taboos of their belief. Epilepsy isn’t the only one being stigmatized, but generally, almost all kind of mental illness and disorders ranging from Schizophrenia, Dementia, Delusion, Hysteria, Depression, Anxiety, Suicidal thoughts & actions, BPD, NPD (and all other forms of PDs) as the fault of the sufferers and the punishment from God (this is especially true if they are in a religious community).

The lack of understanding, awareness, and sensitivity to the psychological ailments perpetuate the stigmatization of this very misunderstood health concerns. This misunderstanding, brutal treatment and misunderstanding from the society would causes those who suffer to not seek help, scared to admit their mental health needed treatment. Even until now, the world is still struggling to understand, help and being aware of this. Global north might have the upper hand with their society are more open, and even have the concept of “ No decision about me without me”, a treatment plan that put the sufferer and their guardians’s on the reign and treatment are based on their consent and the plans that would suits them the best.

Force treatment, medication, inpatient to the ward that could be triggering and traumatic to some is still an issue to most in the global south nations. For example, in India, women are warded for being “suspect” of mental illness or betrayed by husbands who wants to get rid of their wives easily and most would stay there for the rest of their life even if they are not mentally unstable to begin with. I suggest that people do educate themselves about the importance of mental health, because people are dying, suffering and being treated horribly because of the lack of understanding of mental health and mental illness/disorder. This is why mental health awareness is a real issue that the society needed to be concerns of, because in the end, it will affect us one way or another; be it to us, or the ones we loves. We need so much more openness, transparency and understanding that it’s OK to talk about suicide, depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse — et al.

Mental illness, disorder, it’s not a weakness, it’s not a moral shortcoming, it’s not something people brought on themselves.

They are just human that needs help — and in this lonely cruel world, we humans; all we have is each other. Start understanding, start helping, start changing.

Mental illness is among the most stigmatized of categories. People are ashamed of being mentally ill. They fear disclosing their condition to their friends and confidants–and certainly to their employers.

— Elyn R. Saks, Refusing Care

I think it’s really important to de-stigmatize mental illness in any form. I think there’s a lot of people that are carrying around guilt and shame and baggage for sh*t that doesn’t matter. Everybody is going through something, everybody has had something that they’ve had to overcome.

— Mary Lambert