I mentioned in my last post that there were several reactions society has had to the topic of mental disorders; in the past, it has been considered a “taboo topic”. The stigma around mental health continues to impact individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other disorders. Even though the stigma remains prominent in American society, more discussions have been happening about how to reduce this stigma so that those who suffer from such disorders can feel like they have a place to express, share, and exist without being judged, mocked, or ignored. In some communities, the younger generations are catching on, creating safe spaces for those in need and promoting the idea that “it’s okay to not be okay” and it does not make you worse for experiencing these disorders. Here is the story of a mother who expresses her experience with depression, her family history, and how her daughter Mackenzie is able to accept her anxiety a little more because of how willing people her age are to discuss mental health.

However, this is not all we have to focus on. The stigma is still prominent overall, while people suffering still face discrimination for their experiences. But there is another extreme reaction occurring which needs to be dealt with, particularly on the internet. This extreme social perspective on mental health is the development of the “trendiness” of mental disorders, particularly depression, anxiety, and anorexia. A 2017 study co-authored by a graduate student from the International School in Lebanon named Jinan Jennifer Jadayel tracked social media posts about mental health. Jadayel says, “People label their sadness as depression and their nervousness as anxiety when the problems that they’re facing often don’t reflect those psychological problems. If healthy people are convinced that they’re depressed, they ultimately identify with the glamorized social media posts, aggravating the phenomenon even more”. 13 Reasons Why is an example of a media production which – while perhaps unintentionally  – glorifies suicide to an extent where it appears death increases your popularity in a way that one might crave.

I see images and posts trivializing mental health disorders more frequently than I would like to these days. These floating posts unfortunately have an negative effect on other attempts by the media to raise awareness, considering the ones which trivialize the concept of mental  illness serve as an ineffective execution of raising awareness for their cause. Friends of mine have also commented that these posts make it more difficult for them to feel comfortable disclosing their situations to other people, whether that be online or in person, out of fear that no one will take them seriously.

Mental health is not a trend, nor is it something to be ignored. We need to find a happy medium, where we can have real discussions about it and not judge others on the basis of their experiences with mental illness.