Mental Health from Stigmatization to Romanticization
~ A Blog by Amaan Mohd Syed on the dangers of romanticising Mental Illness
This decade has opened the floodgates of talks on mental illnesses, the discussion has broadened, and the stigmas attached to mental health problems are finally given a stage to debate on. It’s not that the problems did not exist before, the people simply collectively decided to ignore something as vast as this which was eating away at generations upon generations as a termite does on wood. Then social media happened, and sports persons like Simone Biles, an American Olympic level gymnast who pulled out from the Olympics due to her mental health, made us understand that taking a leave because of your mental health was as valid as someone taking a break due to physical health.
Where does the problem lie?
The “mind and the body” people say but they conveniently decide to ignore their camaraderie in situations that do not fit their preexisting notions. I am proud that we have come so far and used the internet as a powerful tool to discuss issues, and break stereotypes regarding mental health. Then where does the title of your article come from? You might ask. Well, there was a line between normalising mental illnesses and romanticising them which social media has blurred.
The damage social media has done
We went from trying to break the stereotypes attached to mental health to glorifying mental illnesses in a matter of a few taps on the internet. I have seen posts on social media sites like Tumblr and Instagram that quote “you may be cooler than me but do you have clinical depression?’’ While we understand these posts are meant to be taken on a lighter note with humour being people’s coping mechanism, it is being increasingly used to downplay the pain and suffering mental health patients have to go through daily. It has become so common that you might have heard your friends say “oh why are you so obsessed with organising things, you must have OCD,” or “you have so many mood swings. Oh my god you have bipolar disorder.” Not only are these statements laughable and in horrible taste they are also devaluing people’s struggles with mental illnesses like these that they have to battle day in and day out.
There are TikToks and reels that portray mental illness as an “aesthetic,” a thing to be desired and taken pride in. Whereas mental health problems ruin lives, both for the sufferer and the families. Going through pain is not “tragically beautiful” or “glamorous”, having dark circles because you could not sleep for days is not “sexy” and that boy with social anxiety is not “mysterious and seductively broody.” This mindset is so harmful to the society and it hurts to see that in our move to take mental health seriously we went from ignoring issues to seeing them as, dare I say, attractive in individuals.
Experiencing anxiety is a normal part of life but when your symptoms begin to interfere with your daily activities is when one should consider treatment. Casually typing the phrase,”I’m gonna kms(kill myself)” when you have a 20 mark test next day on your instagram story is not only comically horrific but is undermining the meaning of these words for people who might actually want to seek help. Awareness has been made, and issues are finally being recognized but these misrepresentations are misconstruing everyone’s idea of what mental illness is. They are even disrespectful to survivors and sufferers of mental health disorders.
Why actual mental illnesses should not be used as buzzwords
Words like “Depression”, “Anxiety” that stopped the normal functioning of people’s lives are being thrown around and are being reduced to a joke for some people trying to fit in. They end up feeling invalidated, their experiences are negated and they are left to feel ashamed which is ironic since the steps towards normalisation of mental problems was taken to make people feel validated and heard. This sensationalization of mental health problems is harmful especially for young impressionable teenagers on the internet. Don’t get me wrong, everyone’s mental struggles matter, whether big or small but it becomes an issue of concern when “perfectionist” is being replaced by “you have an OCD” and “I’m anxious for an exam” is “I have crippling anxiety” and “He’s just shy” is said to be “He seems like a sociopath”.
As a society, we need to stop the romanticization of mental illness as it distorts the real issues, it makes sufferers more hesitant to seek help since the situations are made light of and it triggers trauma among many. We need to open portals of honest communication, not become brave behind a keyboard and type whatever the big word of the day is. Here’s to hoping that at least one person reading this who relates to displaying any of these behaviours checks themselves or their friends and develops honest empathy towards victims and survivors instead of feeding into the narcissistic attitude social media has subjected all of us to.
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Instagram: @amaan._syed
