Throughout history, the topic of mental health has been unapproachable. As a result of religious intolerance and superstitions, for the longest time, those with mental health issues were blamed, rather than being treated for chemical imbalances that are associated with the disorders. Despite this, within the past few decades, mental health has been normalized so much so that it has dominated certain areas of social media. However, with this comes the question of when normalization crosses into the territory of romanticization.
In ancient times, the belief of magic dominated the western hemisphere, leading many to believe that magic was the cure to their mental health sufferings. As the Christian church began to influence society, so did the idea of witchcraft, causing those with mental illnesses to be identified as “wild beasts,” and those who treated the mental illness to be witches. This is where the idea of mental institutions and asylums took flight, often confining and torturing those who were supposedly being treated.
As WWII occurred, many soldiers began struggling with mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which motivated military leaders to enforce psychiatric tests. With this, it was discovered that over 1 million soldiers were struggling in silence. These tests, done by the U.S. army, highlighted the pervasiveness of mental illness in the United States – thereby starting a discussion that is still strong and ongoing today.
Nevertheless, what accelerated the awareness and conversation of mental health the most was not a historical event or an evolution of mental institutions, but social media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an overall 25% increase in both depression and anxiety. As the commonality of diagnoses grew, more conversation arose over how many felt the same. However, there is a negative side of this spread that is not being discussed.
It is no secret that people have a psychological need to fit in with those around them, and this is an issue especially prevalent in teenagers who don’t exactly know themselves yet. According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center, 41% of teenagers feel social pressure to conform.
This shifts the idea of normalization into people self-diagnosing themselves to fit in. According to Thriveworks Research, 44% of Americans have admitted to self-diagnosing, while only 14% of people who have self-diagnosed have gone to a medical professional to further confirm this assumption. According to one of WA’s health teachers, Melanie Jozokos, not confirming a diagnosis might prevent you from getting the medication or help you need.
“I do think people are sometimes over-diagnosing themselves,” school adjustment counselor Patti Lonergan said. “People might google that they’re feeling a certain way and see a short description and think they have [a mental illness], but what they don’t understand is for it to truly be a diagnosis, there is a Diagnostic Statistical Manual that says you need a certain amount of symptoms present.”
The idea of self-diagnosing does not only stem from our inherent need to fit in, but can also come from the inaccurate portrayal of mental health in the media. These mental disorders often go beyond depression or anxiety, and into more serious diagnoses that often require heavy treatment. For example, people with schizophrenia and PTSD are often painted as dangerous and destructive, while people with bipolar disorder (BPD) may be misrepresented as simply having quick mood switches, when it really can be a life-threatening issue at times. The misrepresentation of mental health in the media can lead to embarrassment for people who truly do suffer with these issues out of fear of being judged, preventing them from being able to get the treatment and help that they need.
Another issue that accompanies the misrepresentation of mental illness is making a joke out of it and thus taking away from original purpose of talking more about mental health, which was for others to take it more seriously. This can often be seen especially in comment sections on apps like TikTok, Instagram, and X. Gaining access to the internet is very easy, which can cause people to experience manic episodes, and take to social media to publicize it. While it is not all one-sided, with some expressing genuine concern, comments are also usually flooded with mean-spirited jokes and can even be turned into widespread memes.
A real life example of this is rapper Kanye West, who has been diagnosed and has been receiving treatment for BPD since 2016. West is no stranger to X, and has often used the platform to release opinions while in the midst of an episode. These are barely ever responded to with sympathy and worry, and often end with making West the butt of the joke.
This has extended past the media, and crept into real life conversations where people may be trying to express an emotion or talk about something they are truly suffering with, and will be met with a laugh. Every time a joke, online or in person, is made about mental health issues, it subtracts from the true meaning. How can we expect the internet to be a safe place where mental health is normalized, when it constantly is becoming the one-liner people use in their jokes?
On the other hand, there is no doubt that there is a fine line between standardization of conversations about mental illnesses, and the romanticization of it. Some say that the best thing to do is to just keep talking about it no matter what.
“This is my 26th year as a health teacher, and it’s much more normalized to talk about mental health today than it ever has been. We are finally able to see some stigma going away little by little when it comes to getting help for issues related to mental health,” Jozokos said. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of work to do, but we’re in a better place when discussing and teaching about it than we were 25 years ago. […] My advice is to just keep talking about it.”
While there is no disagreement in that it is incredibly important for people to discuss mental health, and to feel comfortable with the topic, it gets harder and harder to do that when the line between normalization and romanticization is continuously blurred.
At the end of the day, difficult conversations like these are incredibly important to have, and should continue. However, people need to recognize when it becomes self-diagnosis, or when it goes further than a conversation and becomes a joke. Making others embarrassed or acting insensitive towards the topic is not the solution, and until we stop, we will not find one.
