Many people who would benefit greatly from mental health services choose not to receive the services or not to fully engage in the services because of how mental health is stigmatised in the society and the label it puts on them. The stigma associated with mental health harms participation of people in the mental health care services in two ways; firstly, it harms self-esteem and secondly, prevents people of social opportunities. So I though why not look into the causes and effects of stigma, why stigma forms and what should be done about the society’s pressurisation as a consequence of stigma. I can surely say this is the truth unfortunately. Because I had to hear a lot of things from people close to me when I was suffering from depression too.
They never realised how many nights I would stay awake, cried my self to sleep. It was impossible to be myself in-front of people. They did try to always guess, but with very non serious attitude. It’s understandable that everybody is busy in their life and dealing with something or the other. But when people are not present when you need them you learn to deal with things alone. Today I am able to accept and talk about this openly whereas many ladies, girls are finding it hard to share their feelings. Depression is more than just being simply unhappy or fed up, it’s a real illness and real symptoms as well as physical symptoms.
Stigma about Mental Health Disorders & Consequences
People face problems expressing their mental health issues or getting help for their illnesses because of the negative responses caused by social stigma or personal stigma. Negative reactions to individuals who have been recognised as having a psychological maladjustment are viewed as a noteworthy deterrent to recovery, constraining opportunities and undermining confidence. Several studies have suggested that higher personal stigma is correlated with less acknowledgement of mental illnesses & lower help seeking or in both grown-ups and adolescents.
Many people faced discrimination for having mental health illnesses; such as being turned down for a job, unfriendly work environment and most alarmingly, being turned down from getting health insurances and being denied treatment because of insufficient health insurance. These are the reasons why people with mental health issues often choose not to speak up or get help; they do this to avoid criticism. The people that do seek help often delay in doing so or do not follow recommended treatment.
Depression is an emotional death of the soul and spirit of a person.
Signs of Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders currently. This illness can affect anyone of any age, race, gender & ethnicity and should not be taken lightly. Recognising depression in friends, family and acquaintances is not exactly an easy task, but there are some common signs that should be spotted. The most common symptoms that depressed people show are loss of interest in hobbies or abnormal change in habits (such as sleeping or eating too much or too little), always being tired, facing difficulty when focusing or making decisions, sudden mood swings, worrying too much, wanting to be left alone for an elongated period of time, sudden changes in behaviour (such as becoming violent, controlling, lost), alcohol use.
If someone has these symptoms, they should be taken to a medical professional immediately to get properly diagnosed and treated. When depression gets out of control people would commit suicide and nobody will ever understand what feeling and pain these individuals would have gone through while taking their own life. It’s very important for family and friends to understand each other specially if you are living in one house please communicate with each other, have talk sessions where all of you can connect with each other and share whatever is bothering you. Parents should connect with their daughters so they can openly share everything, and the trust from parents and siblings is what gives us confidence to fight everything.
