{"id":112,"date":"2017-01-18T17:39:04","date_gmt":"2017-01-18T17:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blog.buprojects.uk\/2016-2017\/hannahold\/?p=112"},"modified":"2017-01-19T19:44:21","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T19:44:21","slug":"online-perceptions-vs-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blog.buprojects.uk\/2016-2017\/hannahold\/2017\/01\/18\/online-perceptions-vs-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"The Negative Perceptions Of Mental Health Online Vs Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A particular online article has come to my attention regarding this issue. The article, written by a man with the name\u00a0Malcom, is titled ’10 Signs Your Mental Illness Is Made Up For Attention’. Without even reading the article, it’s pretty obvious that this article is discriminatory towards sufferers of mental illnesses, not to mention the fact that it is also incredibly stigmatising. I cannot find the original source of the article, however I did find another article<\/a> where a woman named Tannika, a sufferer of mental illness, voices her opinion on it. As am I, Tannika is horrified that this article even exists. By writing the article, Malcom has sent out a completely wrong message about what suffering from a mental illness is like. He also writes about mental illness in a way that implies he questions if they are even real, which is extremely infuriating. Articles like this do nothing but add to the stigma.<\/p>\n

So, what does Malcom say about mental health? Here are a few things that I find to be particularly shocking…<\/p>\n

Content Warning – Malcom’s words are likely to be seen as\u00a0offensive, especially to those of you who suffer with mental health. This is due to the derogatory\u00a0manner that Malcom uses to describe sufferers of mental illnesses. However, Tannika, knowing what suffering with a mental illness is really like, breaks the stigma by putting him right, as will I by providing my own take on this. Some of the content also contains swearing, which again may be seen as offensive. I also use the word ‘reality’ in this post to describe what mental health is really like from my own personal experience and research, which may not exactly match your perspective on the\u00a0reality of mental health. I am not an expert and am simply trying to put my own experiences out there to fight the stigma. Please see my disclaimer for more information.<\/p>\n

Malcom’s perception of mental health<\/span><\/h2>\n

You are constantly sharing sh*t about it [mental health] on social media. Every time someone writes a #powerful #essay on whatever website about their struggle with upper-middle-class anxiety, you share it. You share \u201cHow to date someone with ____.\u201d You share \u201c7 things only people with OCD know.\u201d It\u2019s your whole identity, and you\u2019re constantly reminding people that you are sick and brave and in a permanent struggle against the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

Reality<\/span><\/h2>\n

I cannot explain how offensive and wrong Malcom’s words are. Sharing your own personal experiences on social media is a good thing, and it’s most definitely not ‘sh*t’ as Malcom describes it. This kind of sharing is what the world needs in order to help fight the stigma, and social media is an amazing platform we now have to make everyone aware of what mental illnesses are really like. Mental health is not someone’s whole identity at all, an illness doesn’t define anyone. Common misconceptions such as this just reiterate the fact that mental illnesses are still so misunderstood. Plus, the only way we will break the stigma online is if people talk about it, and why shouldn’t we?<\/p>\n

Malcom’s perception of mental health<\/span><\/h2>\n

You use it [mental health] to be an a**hole to other people. If you don\u2019t call someone back, it\u2019s not because phones give you anxiety. It\u2019s because you\u2019re an inconsiderate a**hole. If you don\u2019t show up to a friend\u2019s birthday party, it\u2019s not because you are bad in social situations. It\u2019s because you\u2019re an inconsiderate a**hole. If you take your stress out on your significant other constantly for no reason, it\u2019s not because you\u2019re depressed. It\u2019s because you\u2019re an inconsiderate a**hole. Mental illness (although convenient) is not a catch-all reason to treat people like sh*t.<\/em><\/p>\n

Reality<\/span><\/h2>\n

People with mental illnesses don’t let their friends down on purpose. Suffering from a mental illness myself, I fully understand what this feels like. I would\u00a0back out of plans last minute and would dread having to text a friend to tell them I couldn’t make it. Sometimes they wouldn’t understand what was wrong with me and thought I was being flaky, but that definitely wasn’t the case. It was my very true friends that understood my anxiety and knew that it had the ability to take over sometimes. I would feel so guilty letting friends down, so I definitely did not do it on purpose as an act of spite. People with mental illnesses\u00a0definitely do not choose to cancel plans because we are ‘inconsiderate’ and definitely do not treat people badly. A mental illness can take over your entire body and you it can be very\u00a0hard to control it.<\/p>\n

Malcom’s perception of mental health<\/span><\/h2>\n

When it\u2019s convenient, your illness takes a back seat. Unless something really fun is coming up and you manage to get it together, or you want to impress a date by pretending that you\u2019re really active and outgoing and happy! Then you\u2019re fine.<\/em><\/p>\n

Reality<\/span><\/h2>\n

My mental illness never just disappears when it’s convenient for me. From personal experience, my mental illness can suddenly worsen when I’m least expecting it, and it can be very scary and upsetting. I definitely do not just lock my mental health illness away for a couple of hours just so it’s convenient for me. I’m pretty sure if it was easy enough to lock it away for a few hours, I would lock it away forever!<\/p>\n

The world’s responses to Malcom’s offensive article<\/span><\/h2>\n

My response to\u00a0Malcom’s article is just one of many. His article has infuriated, frustrated and upset many people and I’m so glad people are sharing their thoughts to break the stigma. If you want to see some more responses to this article, then take a look at these videos below and feel free to share them. We need to put the mental health stigma to bed and help others understand that mental illnesses are not made up for attention.<\/p>\n

Content Warning – Some of this content contains swearing, which may be found offensive. Please see my disclaimer for more information.<\/p>\n