The Ugly Truth

You can find it in the fashion industry, all over social media, and in a great deal of movies and television shows these days. Society has made mental illness into something that is “cool,” “edgy,” or even “glamorous.” We have somehow turned mental illness into the new "must have" "trend," making it more and more difficult to separate the real, truly mentally ill people, from the ones who WANT to be suffering.

There are many reasons why people would want to claim they have mental illness when-in reality- are perfectly fine.

• To receive attention
• To avoid responsibility
• The media said it was cool.

Let me break it down for you.

Have you ever heard of “Munchausen's syndrome”? This is a psychological disorder where someone pretends to be ill or deliberately produces symptoms of illness in themselves. Their main intention is to assume the "sick role" to have people care for them and be the centre of attention.

Along with this is the growing need to have it WORSE than everybody else. I personally love to tell people about the great things in my life, and keep my troubles to myself. But for some reason, lately people are going to great lengths to say: MY LIFE SUCKS MORE THAN YOURS.

Why?

Why is there competition? We all have hard times. Some have it worse than others. That's life.

Avoiding responsibility is a top one that you yourself have probably witnessed.

Life is stressful!

With work, relationships, raising kids, and at the same time trying to be the best you that you can be... We get it. Sometimes you feel like it's just too much. But using your fake (or even real) mental illness to avoid taking responsibility for your actions is just wrong.

Examples:

• "I’m sorry I don’t take care of my children properly. It’s just because I'm depressed.”
• "I'm sorry I cheated on you multiple times. It's just because I'm Bipolar."
• "I'm sorry I stole your money to go buy drugs. It's just because I'm an addict."

It is hard to draw the line on where the excuse is actually a good reason sometimes, and I know there will never be one right answer. Think of a person with schizophrenia who behaves in a certain way because they were unable to differentiate between reality and what was happening in his/her head? I don’t believe this person should be held fully accountable for their actions. It's clear their mental illness prevented them from properly viewing reality. This is an "excuse" I can understand.

There ARE medications and lifestyle changes you can make to help you deal with mental illness. And if you are truly ill to the point where it is disrupting your life and/or putting you or anyone else in danger, get help.

The media plays a big role in this. Especially with the younger generations.

With shows like:

• Big Bang Theory (Sheldon's O.C.D)
• House (Dr. House’s Depression)
• 13 Reasons Why (Hannah's Suicide/Depression)
• Skins (Cassie's eating disorder)
• Two And A Half Men (Charlie’s Alcoholism)

...and numerous others, we are finding more teens and young adults looking at these CHARACTERS with mental illness as people they desire to be like. Reason being, most of the shows don’t accurately show what living with that mental illness is actually like. Some even put a comical spin on the illness, making viewers (especially young ones) look at the characters mental illness as a positive thing in their life.

The biggest part of the media that is glamorizing mental illness is (obviously) social media sites.

On Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, and other blogging sites, you can find memes and videos of all kinds relating to glamorizing mental illness. People sharing pictures with quotes making suicide sound like a lovely way to go, and mental illness is a beautiful thing to live with, and it makes you deep thinking and quirky.

As if being mentally ill will solve all your problems and make you "beautifully broken" in everybody's eyes.

Even with retail stores, you will find people who are okay selling shirts that say:

• "Eat Less"
• "Misery Loves Alcohol"
• "Depression"(All over the shirt)
• Kurt Cobain's suicide letter
• “I Hate Being Bi-Polar. It's Awesome”
• "Suicide Watch" (With a man sitting and watching someone hang themself)
• The most appalling one I came across was a Halloween costume named Anna Rexia (a skeleton with a tape measure around the waist).

It's unfortunate that most of these clothes go to young teens who are stressed as it is. This type of glamorization makes it a humorous thing to be mentally ill, and at the same time encourages the unhealthy traits of the illness's.

I feel—and this is ONLY personal feelings—that people have forgotten the difference between having a bad day, and being depressed. Or being stressed about homework, and having full blown anxiety. Being moody, and being Bi-Polar. There used to be a clear thick line dividing those, and now we have made it so foggy that doctors don’t know how to properly diagnose people. Taking certain mental illness medication when you don’t need it can alter your thoughts and cause many mental issues that previously never existed.

Being mentally ill is not artistic or beautiful. It's a daily struggle that can severely affect someone's life. It is not a competition, and it is NOT a “cute quirk” to use to get more people to like you. It should not be bragged about, but it SHOULD be talked about. To educate, and to show others who really have mental illnesses that they are not alone, and that there is help.

And for the ones who are in it only for the trend of “I have it worse”:

Why?

Does it really help you in life? Does it really make you feel more special? Can't you just hop on board with the gluten free or vegan trend instead?