mental illness.

physical illnesses, such as cancer for example, are highly publicised and are aided by many charities. events like race for life raise money and awareness about the signs, causes, treatment and cure for cancer. in many people's opinion, this is brilliant. cancer, at some point, enters everybody's lives. whether you are diagnosed with it yourself or know somebody who has, the activity surrounding this horrible disease is fantastic.

now, imagine someone suffering with cancer, is blamed for developing the disease. or, alternatively, is patronised, told to 'cheer up' or 'try harder' to get better. the simple suggestion of this is both upsetting and insulting, isn't it?

unfortunately, this is how thousands of people with mental illness, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, are treated. the mind is physical component of the body. and while no physical deformities, such as a haemorrhage or a tumour are present, it can still become diseased. while we can't define a single cause or cure for the multitude of mental illnesses, they deserve to be treated as what they are; an illness.

mental illness is not treated as it should be, both by the general public and the NHS. public stigma surrounding mental illness, in my opinion, is sickening. for example, someone with depression is just 'sad' or 'needs to cheer up' or is just generally 'negative. someone with schizophrenia is 'crazy'.  some are just labelled as 'difficult'. or, many mental illnesses are just dismissed as either eccentricities. so, as a side note, be careful before you comment on someone; on their personality or behaviours. or others are accused of 'faking it'. now, you would tell someone with MS they were faking it, would you?

public opinion also creates further stereotypes of mental illness. depression, for example, can conjure up a very inaccurate picture. if the word depression is mentioned, many people imagine a moody, difficult teenager who listens to heavy emo music, self harms and 'hates life'. but no. while teenagers and young adults are often at the onset age for depression, does not mean they are the only people who suffer with it. such stereotypes need to be abolished. i feel a way to do this is to incorporate mental health education and support from a young age, perhaps secondary school. this way, future generations are both informed, aware and active in both empathising and understanding mental illness.

the NHS, additionally, needs some sort of education and change. if someone has a heart attack or a stroke, you call an ambulance. they are rushed to hospital and given the care and medical attention they need. however, if someone suffering with bipolar suffers a manic episode, who do you call?  or someone with depression is suicidal? an ambulance cannot do anything, only if the sufferer has caused themselves or other physical harm. there is no actual immediate response service for the mentally ill. there are helplines, yes, but not every mental illness sufferer will know to or want to call them.  my mum works in a_e and constantly mentions the number of people coming in, suffering with mental illness, who are simply turned away. this is because 'medically', there is nothing wrong with them.

someone, somewhere in this world needs to wake up and smell the roses. much like an undiagnosed physical illness, too many people are isolated, scared, harmed or are killed by their mental illness. due to something as trivial as a lack of support and education, especially in a developed country such as the uk.  as someone who has experienced all of these instances and examples i've mentioned, i know there needs to be change. i've suffered stereotypes, blame and ignorance. i want to be the one to change it, not just for me, but for everyone.