Seeing Things Differently: Challenging Misconceptions about Mental Illness Flixy Coote

SEEING t hings DIFFERENTLY

Flixy Coote YEAR 8

CHALLENGING MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

One in four people are affected by a mental illness in their lifetime, either directly or indirectly, experiencing it themselves or through those of a family member or friend. Although many people are likely to come across mental illness, many will not recognise it, just thinking they are “feeling bad” or “a little bit down”, when they are actually suffering ill health. You can’t see mental illness in the mirror; it is internal and this makes it easy for sufferers to hide it - either because they are embarrassed or for other reasons. It is relatively easy to hide it, as so many other people don’t see it or recognise it.

A mental illness can be defined as a health condition that changes an individual’s thinking, feeling or behaviour, causing them distress and difficulty in functioning. It can be severe or mild. Many people think that having a mental health condition means that you are “crazy” or “mad” and, as a result, may treat you differently. However, many people themselves experience a mental health condition without being aware of it. Sometimes, people recognise their mental illness, but worry that others will not; as a result, they bottle things up and put on the appearance of being fine.

However mental health isn’t just about mental illness. It can also be about what you are feeling. To see mental health as purely about illness is a misconception. It is also about wellbeing. Everyone once in a while will feel sad or anxious or angry, but this does not necessarily mean they have an illness - it might just be a passing thing. But if that person is feeling that anger, anxiety or sadness on a more prolonged basis, he or she might be suffering from a mental illness.

People are accustomed to think that mental health disorders are always permanent; this, however, is incorrect. The most common mental illness, anxiety, can be sparked by a single event or experience, such as a car accident, but, equally, can be cured by therapy over time. Depression is much more common than some people wish to acknowledge, for example resulting from the loss of someone you are close to; again, a combination of medication and therapy can help someone overcome a depressive illness. Even a more permanent mental health issue can often be treated very effectively, for example bipolar disorder, through a combination of medication and therapy.

It is only relatively recently that mental health has really been addressed openly and with less stigma, although there are problematic attitudes towards it even today. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, despite pioneering work by psychiatrists and psychologists, people with what now would be understood as treatable mental health issues were locked up in asylums and psychiatric hospitals, often in appalling conditions. The primary purpose was not to cure them but simply to separate them from the rest of society. Shockingly, patients in these institutions included young people with what now would be classed as “learning difficulties”; records include letters from teachers recommending certain students should be sent to psychiatric institutions so as not to have an “evil influence” on the other children. Nowadays, such a student would receive educational support rather than what was essentially imprisonment.

Photo by Sasha Freemind

The asylums were very similar to prisons in the way they were run and the rules they had. For example, the ill person could only be visited once a week and they were not allowed to be given any presents. They were often kept in such places for the rest of their life. Asylums were often overcrowded with little sanitation. It is difficult to understand the reasons for this; however, the people who ran them often (but not always) had the best intentions in mind but not as in-depth an understanding as we have today. In England, there are records that go back to the medieval era showing treatment for the mentally ill; in the fifteenth century, for example, it was believed that if you drilled a hole into the person's head, it might cure them of any mental illnesses they might have. In the eighteenth century, many inmates were placed in ‘straitjackets’ that prevented them from moving their arms or legs. Their treatment amounted to what we would now call torture.

The twentieth century saw the start of the modern era of treating mental illnesses, forming a break with the past; however, even now too many people still view having mental illness as a stigma. They do not appreciate that, just like any other kind of illness, mental illness can be treated and benefits from openness and acknowledgement. A significant change in recent years is that counselling and therapy are now available in almost all schools. Also, there is increasing understanding of the ways medication and therapy can be used in complementary ways to help sufferers recuperate. In addition, more and more support groups have been created which offer shared experience and empathy to people who often feel isolated and alienated. A wider number of online resources and helplines mean that help is easier to find than it has ever been. Better mental health education in schools has also ensured that children are taught about mental health from an early age, with guidance regarding helpful organisations and reassurance about the support available.

There are many ways that mental illness can develop, but there are certain causes that are particularly common, for example: psychological trauma, physical, mental or sexual abuse, loss, neglect and isolation, as well as developments in technology such as social media. There are also possible biological causes, for example abnormal functioning of nerve cell circuits or pathways in the brain, which can be treated through medication, genetics (bipolar disorder can be inherited, for example) and addiction (to alcohol, drugs, etc).

Mental health is becoming more and more of a pressing issue in society today, partly because of an increase in incidence but also because people are being more open in reporting it, particularly young people. Furthermore, institutions such as schools are becoming more proactive in fostering mental wellbeing and providing support for those suffering mental illness. One positive is that awareness of mental health has greatly increased and there are many more ways for people to reach out and get help and for it to be treated.

This leads me to conclude that, even though mental illness is treatable, it is highly complex. There is always much more going on in anybody’s head than you can see from the outside. People can hide how they are feeling, put on an appearance of being fine when they are not; mental health is not always reflected in an individual’s actions or behaviour. There is so much for us to learn about mental health.