Stigma

Posted on January 28, 2016

The more and more I become aware of the stigma attached to mental illness the more I want to fight it and advocate for those who struggle with.
Part of the stigma that has been really bothering me recently is the jokes posted as Facebook photos. The ones that say things like "I'm going to have meetings at my house for people who have OCD. I don't have it, I'm just hoping they'll take one look at my house and start cleaning" or "the economy is so bad that when I called the suicide hotline, I got a call center in Pakistan and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck".
Does anyone not see how harmful this is to people who really do suffer from these disorders or struggles? Not only does this minimize the severity of struggles that people who have suicidal thoughts or OCD go through, it mocks it. It also can be a trigger to people who have these illnesses and struggles.
I have friends who have OCD. Serious OCD. I struggle with suicidal thoughts on a daily basis and have tried to end my life on 5 different occasions, 2 of those attempts serious enough to end me up in the hospital for multiple days. Seeing these types of posts can trigger me and make me feel even worse or that my problems aren't that important or severe enough.
This is NOT something to joke about EVER!!!! Mental health is serious and these disorders are not something that should be taken lightly.
When people joke about these things it makes it even more difficult to talk about them because people don't think they are serious. These are the facts:
Bipolar disorder has a 15-20% suicide rate.
Schizophrenia has a 10-15% suicide rate.
Borderline Personality Disorder (which I have) has a suicide rate of 10-15%.
Major Depressive Disorder has a 5-10% rate of suicide.
When are we going to realize that mental health is serious and needs to be take seriously? Forme,I don't even feel comfortable talking about my mental illness to many people. I have trouble even talking about it to professionals because of the stigma attached. And Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the most stigmatized disorders both in and outside of the mental health field. I'm afraid to be honest with how I'm really feeling because I don't want to be looked at as less than or crazy. I don't feel comfortable talking to people at work about my disorders and struggles even though they have told me many times that they are there for me and want to support me. I don't want to be looked down on for something that I can't control. Mental illness is like cancer or diabetes in some ways because it is not something I chose or would ever choose and the course of treatments are complex and take a lot of time. Every persons treatment is different. You can't see depression just like you can't see diabetes. People with depression cannot just snap out of it or stop what they are doing. There is a chemical difference in the brain that causes this to happen.
When will we begin to realize that jokes about OCD and being suicidal are not funny? When will we begin to take these disorders seriously?
It starts with you and me. Take the step with me and make the decision not to joke about mental illness. To stand up for those who suffer. To make a difference one person at a time.