10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
Mental disorders are the most stigmatized and misunderstood thing on the planet. While this seems like an exaggeration, there is no such thing here. People have a hard enough time understanding themselves, so who is to say that I am wrong. If you are already struggling enough with yourself, how does it feel to add more unneeded pressure on top of that. It generally is not a person’s fault that they have mental problems. This does not skirt responsibility away from them, as they are still responsible human beings. With this, comes the ones who have it easy trying to talk responsibility to those who suffer. This then creates the first unsolvable conundrum that must be answered to help. These are the 10 ways mental illness is misunderstood.
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The problem is that other people will have to help clean up the mess they have created. If not, this only serves to help create the problemed boundaries that exist that the fortunate choose to ignore. There should be more understanding about the inner turmoil a mental illness can cause someone. Those struggling with mental illnesses are also more likely to understand the unfortunate facts of life. It should not require taking one to know one, but it almost makes you wish the worst. Weirdly enough, those struggling with mental disorders are also some of the first to judge and misunderstand other people. We all need to work on it, and with time, things may change for the better.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
1. You Are Stupid
One of the saddest parts of having a mental health disorder is that people may think you are dumb. While this misconception is not the belief of most people, there are some who think it is true. The simple depictions that movies show you are not the entire story for most people with mental problems. The problem is that these depictions are not the best interpretations of what having a mental disorder is actually like. Since a realistic tone plays a huge part in displaying and understanding mental illness properly, films should not be an indicator.
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While those who struggle can have intellectual disabilities, not everyone who is mentally ill does. Many of the smartest people alive have mental problems, but this does not mean it should be glorified. This ends up getting in the way of the help someone with a mental disorder truly needs. Having a mental disorder can be intellectually incapacitating, which can end up culling someone’s natural abilities. We are still very lucky that we do not live in a time where mental illness was often burned at the stake. For this, we can certainly feel lucky.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
2. You Are Crazy
Someone with OCD can seem insane or even crazy for the self-defeating thought process of overthinking and rumination. The same apparently cannot be said for the stupidity that the average human does on a daily basis. Someone with problems like this can end up putting all of their energy into the wrong things. A person with depression can ruminate about the death of a loved one, and a person with bipolar can obsess about their next manic episode. All of this negativity and distraction can lead to maladaptive coping mechanisms that can drive you crazy. In fact, we are all kind of crazy for having been alive and staying to tell the tell.
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You can end up feeling like there is no good way to express your emotions. While all of this may seem very general, at least to me, it is not. A lot of the greatest inventions and discoveries seemed like crazy ideas, but they are here with us today. There is eccentricity and strangeness to having a mental illness that can seem beautiful, but it is not. While it is true that you have to make the most of it, this is hardly the whole story. The feeling of going mad can lead you down a contradictory and philosophical loophole of acceptance of yourself and others. This is the part of feeling better you deserve after all of the disrespect you get for being called disrespectful.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
3. You Are Genius
There are numerous people who think that just because you have some form of mental disorder, it must mean you are intelligent. While this can be true in some instances, it certainly does not mean that you are smart. This is an association often made with the tortured genius — someone with bipolar disorder. It is not necessarily a fact that the vast majority of people believe it, but many people glibly fall for it. Intelligence can come with some eccentric behavior and mental disorder, but one does not mean the other.
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The obsessive mad scientist and shy but smartest kid in the class tropes are overused. There may certainly be a correlation, but to say that it involves everyone of this type is nonsense. Thinking this way can certainly make it easier for some people to sleep at night, but so what. It is not about easy thinking that makes life a little more convenient, especially for someone with a mental disorder. Thinking easy may be the goal, but it often ends in tragedy because the hard way is the only way they know. The same way that people with mental illness are not intellectually stunted, they are not always genius.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
4. You Think Highly of Yourself
It is true that some people with mental disorders wear their disorders as a badge of honor. There is also truth in believing that many of these people do not actually have a mental disorder. If a person dealing with a mental disorder is mentioning it, it is because they have nothing else to be proud of. Someone with a mental disorder will also not be able to hide the fact that they are truly ill. A mental problem can and will chase you around as long as you have it. This is a thought that everyone struggling with one understands after beating themselves up all day. Even if it is not the best way to cope, it is the only easy way to do it.
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If you are not mentally ill, you have a hard time understanding the true appreciation of not feeling this bad. A mental disorder can also make you not understand who you are, as intellectual stability is often lacking. While a mental disorder can make you seem of feel smart or the best, it never stays this way. There are so many defense mechanisms involved in the process of having a mental disorder. It is also true that mental disorders can make people seem smarter than they actually are if you know no better. In the end, is is really all that bad for someone struggling this much to feel good about at least one thing. It is certainly better than coming into conflict with someone else about how bad you are. This is just the top of the iceberg when trying to understand the confusion caused by disorder.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
5. You Are Dangerous
It is a very common belief that those struggling with mental illness are very, very dangerous. Of course, not everyone believes this, but enough people do. You are constantly an inch away from exploding and killing everyone around you. This is all it takes for there to be a common enough misconception among the rest. The unfortunate fact is that mental illness is the situation most vulnerable to having this negative connotation. If you are mentally ill, you must have a dangerous streak of violence or abuse. While this may be true for some mentally ill people, it is not true in every situation. If anything, someone with a mental disorder is far more of a danger to themselves.
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While it can be common for someone to have an episodic breakdown, it does not mean they are dangerous or even suicidal. The person, with or without their episodes, can be the kindest person you met. This does not mean they could not do harm, but they often do not. The intention to do harm is not necessarily there, but it is no excuse to indulge in bad behavior. We all are here to try and pick up the messes from ourselves and others. The problem is that those without mental disorders are generally causing the mess. While those struggling are trying to work on themselves for the better, others are beating them up for it. This is a true sign of weakness and inability to get your shit together.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
6. Everyone Has One
If you do not find this one irritating, it is more than likely because you are not mentally ill. While there are more important things to think about among us all, this item certainly irks me the most. The same way a person can wear it as a badge of honor, everyone can now have a mental disorder. The contradicting hypocrisy seems to never end with some people. This can come from someone claiming they have OCD or a doctor claiming everyone struggles from time to time. While this is true and acceptable, to say that we all are mentally ill is insane. This would mean that have no right to complain more than the average dope. If you do, you are weak and complain too much. In return, you can tell them that just because their parents did not raise them right does not mean they are mentally ill.
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There is a difference between an anxiety disorder and dealing with occasional anxiety. There is a difference between clinical depression and sadness, and a difference between bipolar and mood swings. You cannot have your cake and eat it too, but this is what everyone wants to do. You are all of a sudden the one who is the problem by pointing out this obvious insult to those truly struggling with one. Those of us saying this does not mean that you should not or cannot understand it though. The ideas of inclusivity have been taken too far in the way of oblivious associations. Just because you ended up with a medication in your hands means nothing of your mental fortitude. This is why it is important to know that not every perceived symptom means a mental disorder is present.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
7. You Are Dishonest
One aspect of those struggling with mental illness is that truth may end up being a problem. The thing to understand is that the entire existence of a mentally ill person is a problem. If going into a state of denial is what works, at least they have an excuse. People struggling with mental disorders like BPD and so on are accused of being fallacious liars. This ends up causing them to think that others are being dishonest to them. A constant state of projection is what they end up learning, especially during childhood. This state of mind entails that you cannot trust anyone, as everyone is only there to ultimately serve malicious intent. This is hard to avoid thinking because of everyone believing that you are a lazy piece of crap. If all someone sees is laziness, they may be ignoring a paramount feature of depression and anxiety.
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You will lie about liking someone or being mentally ill, but where did all of this pressure come from to begin with. If they do not want to reveal what you already know, you may not be doing your job. If a person with a mental disorder is lying to you, they generally have good reason. It does not mean they are hiding something bad they did, as the bad thing happened to them. Most people who struggling with any kind of mental disorder are often the most honest and trustworthy people. Lying about a mental disorder or not, you will find that their shame does not interfere with their honesty and kindness. There are better ways to speak the truth, and this is a lesson they have learned through and through. If having a mental disorder equates to laziness and dishonesty, then the person doing the math is lying.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
8. You Deserve Little (Respect)
Just because you have to already deal with significant problems, it means you also deserve little compensation or respect. It is not to say that you should not have to work for what you get, but the words of others deem otherwise. You may even work for all you have received, but someone is there to try and take it all away. All it takes are a few words of disrespect or a boss with a bias. If you acted like an ass, you deserve just as little respect as job blow down the street. This does not mean that life should be served on a silver platter though.
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Before long, you are long forgotten and thrown to the streets begging for money. The lack of concern this truly displays is astonishing, and it goes to show that suffering does little to pay. People with ostracize you from work or even a group of friends only see you to pity you. Apparently, this is all you deserve, and it somehow means they are doing their jobs enough. You may be the kindest person on the earth, but this does little to compensate for your “other problems.”
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It is understandable why people would want to avoid us, and it is because they have not dealt with it. There is a fact here that displays that this is not enough in anyway, especially our own personal standards. This is not so far as to say that people should be willing to put up with bad behavior, as it is a choice to make. It would be ideal if we did not have to deal with any of this to begin with. The preconceived notions are endless, and this is all anyone has. If only we had the ability to give people some perspective.
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The problem lies in the lack of experience or ability to do better in spite of not having the problem. Just because a person with depression may judge, does not mean that someone else cannot do better. Strugglers understand other strugglers, and while this is good enough, more people understanding would be best. It just so happens to be an unfortunate fact of reality that this is not really the case. Even if we cannot do it, it is best to do what is better, and this should always be shared.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
9. They Are Not Painful
How many times have you heard that people should simply get over it or some form of it. It is commonly understood that all of the world’s problems cannot be solved overnight. The problem is that most people are doing little to actually help those who are ill. This can go back to the fact that people have little time to care, and this can be understood as well. The problem is that if people cannot do anything about it, what they at least choose to say can be different. If what they say with harm is a reflection of what they truly believe, this is where it becomes a problem. Even other people who are mentally ill have problems accepting this.
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This is part of the endless cycle of suffering that helps undermine people with mental disorders. If everyone is walking around just talking about them and their medications, it must be easy. The medication may make it better, but it takes a lot of it to help them hide it a little bit better. The fact that mental and emotional pain is often compared to physical pain is dubious as well. Instead of comparing different kinds of pain, try to understand the pain first. Treat the pain as an equal instead of a simple excuse or choice a person makes to be weak. Even though emotional and psychological pain are indeed the worst, all pain is somewhat tied together. The problem is that you cannot see it, and if those who struggle end up hiding it, it is nonexistent.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
10. You Are Suicidal
If you have a mental disorder, one of the first things that comes to mind is suicide. A therapist will ask you, and your friends and family may mock you. All in all, everyone will assume the worst from you. While it is an important issue to tackle, most people care little about it until it actually happens. They will find reason to rebuke you and act like it is no big deal while simultaneously throwing it in your face. It may surprise you to know that not everyone with a mental disorder is suicidal. The fact that they do not need your false pity may surprise you even more. The same way that crazy does not mean mentally ill, mentally ill does not mean suicidal. While they are not mutually exclusive, the order of magnitude is often overstated extensively.
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While it is hard to not at least think of suicide from time to time, who does not. Even if you are not aware or are in denial, it does not mean that it has not been a thought. The subject of suicide is a real serious topic and should be indications of the failure in society. More than anything else, we are making it worse and worse for others without even knowing it. If it is too much to care or understand a little more, there is no reason in trying to begin with. Most people with disorders are trying their best to make their lives and the world a better place. Even if it is hard, at least they understand through the crap they have suffered through to get here.
10 Ways Mental Illness is Misunderstood
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