I am torn on this issue.
I’ve had mental issues (off and on) all my adult life. I’m in my mid fifties now.
Many years ago, when I was young, I was sectioned for a brief period due to psychosis. I think people were more likely to be hospitalised back then whereas now, people are just told to see their GP.
Anyhow, when I was released from hospital, I was absolutely terrified of anyone finding out that I’d been in hospital. The stigma of mental health difficulties in the early nineties was strong and the thought of being seen as a ‘nutter’ or ‘mental patient’ made my anxiety ten times worse.
Nowadays it’s very different. Celebrities and social influencers are very outspoken about MH issues and, to some extent, I wish I’d had that level of validation when I was younger. It would have made me feel less like a freak.
However, I do wonder if the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. From listening to my daughter’s friends (teens) talk, you’d think that having MH issues was a right of passage / a badge of honour. Everyone and their dog seems to have some sort of MH issue.
What I think (I suppose this is my AIBU), is that normal human emotions are sometimes labelled anxiety’ or ‘depression’. Many of my daughter’s friends are on medication and I wonder if normal human emotions are now over medicalised.
So what is it? Are people more honest about suffering because there is less stigma? Are more young people suffering? Did people just suffer in silence in the past because they were too ashamed to admit they were suffering and so they weren’t reflected in the statistics?
If it’s just that people are more comfortable talking about their difficulties without the burden of stigma weighing heavy on their shoulders, then that’s a good thing. If it’s that normal life experiences of ups and downs / nervousness / shyness are being considered pathological, doesn’t this trivialise the suffering of people who have genuine difficulties?
I’m not suggesting shame should be part and parcel of struggles but I see so many young people claiming to have MH difficulties that I wonder if it’s genuine. Not so much that they’re pretending, more that they are convinced they have MH issues because they sometimes get a bit down or a bit nervous and a quick google search can leave them feeling as though they’re mentally ill?
I do worry that sometimes kids are led to believe they are ill and that pills are the answer rather than helping them develop the skills to deal with adversity.
I hope I’m not coming across as unsympathetic. That couldn’t be further from the truth.