Mental health and the fashion to talk about it

[catinboots123]

It's all the rage. Harry, Oprah, Roman Kemp - and every other celebrity. Crying and whining on various doccos.

Yes it's great that it's no longer stigmatised. But at the end of the day it's your personal health!

Who really cares outside your own immediate family? Would it be as lauded if zelebs got a show and wanged on about bowel issues or arthritis or whatever.

All seems a bit self indulgent to me. My private, personal medical issues are exactly that - private and personal.

They're never proper discussions about mental health though. It's more about emotional wellbeing. Discussions never involve schizophrenia, self harm, self neglect, suicide, personality disorders etc. Never the mucky, serious, hard-core stuff that sufferers never talk about for fear of judgement.
I agree with this.
Celebs talking about mental health too often means celebs navel gazing, talking about how triggered they are by living such an amazing life, and trying to get even more publicity for themselves.

People with lots of money can, and do, have mental illnesses, but is rather the discussion focused more on what you say as the mucky, serious mental health issues, and lack of funding for core services, than yet another celebrity telling me their life is so hard but it took them a month to decide to speak to a therapist.

I am really not articulating myself very well - but when everyone jumps on the bandwagon, doesn't it belittle people with true MH symptoms? If we all blame our every day stresses etc to MH. Is it the same as saying our aches and pains from a day after the gym are the same as as a permanent musculoskeletal issue?

[quote catinboots123]@LaLaLandIsNoFun I'm so sorry that was your experience.

But yes several of the things on your list applied to me.[/quote]
Well, as someone who has had a breakdown which subsequently destroyed my life, and as someone who lives with a mental health professional with a list of patients with life issues that are often almost insurmountable, I can tell you that a broken leg that heals within six months isnt what gets people into situations where they are isolated, homeless and very very unwell.

FFS. You sound utterly ignorant of what actual ill health that is still terribly stigmatised and seriously underfunded when it comes to treatment means.

I don't like the way many people cheapen MH these days by labeling themselves, often in a jokey way.

"I'm so OCD" because I like to keep a tidy desk

I'm genuinely on the fence on this one. My middle DS has some severe mental health diagnoses so believe me I am a big advocate of making mental health issues more 'mainstream' and making society more aware of the genuine problems people face, and encouraging tolerance, acceptance etc. I do wonder however, whether the recent trend for celebrities discussing their mental health has almost pushed things the other way - everyone is portrayed as having mental health issues now so it almost diminishes the real problems that people face. I'd rather hear about what the CAMHS waiting list is like at the moment, rather than Oprah and Harry telling me that 'everyone is struggling with their mental health' because that's not true.

It's OK talking about it but we need the resources to deal with it I approached my gp in January 2019 for assistance (following the NHS causing me to have ptsd). I've been assessed and on a waiting list (they are predicting I'll get my treatment in 2023!) I can't afford to go private because the NHS negligence caused me to loose my job 7 years ago and benefits don't pay enough for private care. In the meantime I have a nurse who rings me every month (supposedly, its 8 weeks this time) who can't give any treatment but can advise me on sleeping well and self care. Hearing famous people talking about mh isn't solving the chronic problems with our mh service. We need money, care available at the point of need, not many years later. It's OK famous people talking about their experiences, their treatment but most people can't access that kind of care.

I like that famous people talk about mental health issues as it helps some people understand it more.

When I was at the start of my depression then the amount of people that said to me “what are you depressed about” was staggering, many people don’t understand that depression is a chemical imbalance and that it’s far more than just being ‘fed up’, there are too many ignorant and uneducated people in the world when it comes to mental health so I say good for them to talk about it.

@User135644

I don't like the way many people cheapen MH these days by labeling themselves, often in a jokey way.

"I'm so OCD" because I like to keep a tidy desk

I'd agree with this, my dc (year 7) came home from school last week saying they'd been encouraged to use words like 'I feel low in mood/anxious today' because they were told ocd, depression, anxiety are all conditions that are diagnosable only by a professional with appropriate training. We can only hope the media take the same point of view.

If we all blame our every day stresses etc to MH. Is it the same as saying our aches and pains from a day after the gym are the same as as a permanent musculoskeletal issue?
I think it's comparable.
Most people wouldn't suggest that being tired from having a busy day/weekend is them being "a bit M.E. this weekend", but think nothing of saying they're depressed or making light of OCD because it's someone funny that they like their sponge in a particular spot on the kitchen sink.

Yeah OCD is a high anxiety disorder and nothing to do with being neat and tidy and I wish people would recognise this, my ex has it and he wasn’t excessively neat and tidy, he had little rituals that he had to follow when he did certain things but cleaning and tidying weren’t part of it.

I think its important that everyone is aware of different aspects of MH and how it can affect anyone no matter what and what can be done to help them and those around them.

My DD 14 is trying to navigate a couple of her close friends suffering from MH and the fact it's being discussed so openly in the media helps her and her friends to realise it does exist, it can happen to anyone and different ways to deal with it.

I don't think anyone talking about their MH is whiny etc at all.

I think it's brave to talk about it as in the past it's been embarrassing and hidden away.

No one wants to lose a friend or family member to suicide.

No one.

Talking about it more could help those struggling.

Oh and I hate that the tabloids keep printing Piers Bloody Morgan's nasty negative comments about people talking about their MH.

Entitled tw@t. He can do one.

Poor mental health is dreadful, but my concern is the normalising of trauma, teenagers now believe that poor mental health is the norm and there is contagious in that sense. The continual talking about it is not helpful - I believe that lockdowns have not helped but I don't think talking about it in real life helps , we are in danger of indulging teenagers who need to be reliance and accept that there is a difference between disappointment and unhappiness and poor mental health

I think suicidal teens who have been hospitalised for trying to kill themselves are able to discuss the reasons why more with family, School and friends.

Which in doing so helps everyone try to understand and help as best they can.

This does not set everyone else off like dominos to want to do the same.

It just means they can actually talk to each other about it.

Disappointment and unhappiness can go on to cause MH issues.

Unhappiness due to being abused etc

Disappointment at being treated badly etc

Maybe things like depression and anxiety don’t have a stigma but I would say things like schizophrenia definitely still have a stigma! My ex suffers from schizophrenia and there is still a stigma around it.

I think normalising it to recognise that everyone does have less than optimum mental health sometimes is valuable. Just like we all get colds or upset stomachs, we also all experience low mood etc.

Placing the same emphasis on maintaing good mental health through exercise, sleep, talking or whatever it is that makes you feel better is surely a positive step. Nobody has a problem with talking about the importance of good physical health.

I would agree that people need to recognise that experiencing less than optimum mental health sometimes, is not indicative of a diagnosable condition. And like the examples given above, I would not diagnose myself with arthritis just because I had a sore knee now and then.

@Divineswirls

Disappointment and unhappiness can go on to cause MH issues.

Unhappiness due to being abused etc

Disappointment at being treated badly etc

Both of those would be linked to the effects of trauma though. Every single person experiences disappointment and unhappiness to a degree sometimes. It doesn't feel good at the time, but it is a normal part of life, and we need to be able to work our way through it in a positive way, having perspective and self awareness.

Agreed those unhappiness and disappointment can go on to cause poor mental health that needs help but in most cases that is not the case. Teenagers can be very self indulgent and there is a case for just getting on with life without the need to categorise everyone as needed therapy - at the moment it is understandable that a higher than normal percentage of people are feeling the strain but constantly discussing the needs and importance of seeking help has made it almost a right of passage.

I would agree with you except, those that follow celebs might be encouraged to seek help themselves, if it say saves one suicide surely it's to be encouraged.
I don't follow celebs neither, and am currently unwell, and wouldn't look for help on their say so, but some will.

I share a general, rather traditionally British, faint distaste for listening to people use "mental health issues" as an excuse for all sorts, or to garner sympathy and popularity - so yes, celebs who 'naval gaze'. I also find it infuriating when normal emotions and reactions are medicalised incorrectly (eg feeling anxious ahead of an exam is not the same as having Anxiety). It belittles genuine conditions.

However, I think the trend to discuss mh publicly is definitely a step in the right direction and its undeniably helpful to many to hear their feelings and experiences vocalised by those in the public eye and for these to be accepted.

We cannot deny the privilege of bring able to be open and honest about one's experiences, however. It's one thing for a celebrity to be open about it and quite another for Ms Jo Bloggs...It's the norm to experience discrimination and marginalisation as a result of mh issues and they're are too often used an excuse for people to bully and ostracise others.

The answer, as I see it, is for people to continue speaking out about it. But we've a long way to go yet but socially and politically until it's safe for everyone/anyone to do so.

I hope the speaking out continues.

@User135644

I don't like the way many people cheapen MH these days by labeling themselves, often in a jokey way.

"I'm so OCD" because I like to keep a tidy desk

I take your point, but I do that - not because of a tidy desk but because of the intrusive thoughts and rituals (usually counting). but I wouldn't actually consider myself to have OCD. OCD traits maybe.

It's clearly genetic, I have at least one close family member with genuine OCD and there's a lot of anxiety, whether diagnosed or not, in my close family as well.

In my case there's a pile of trauma there as well, but I've always managed, somehow, to stay pretty borderline and avoiding needing real intervention. Which is also pretty shit in a way as I could have got help a lot sooner than I did and saved myself years of distress. But the most compelling need was always to be in control.

As for celebrities talking about MH... I don't think it changes much. As far as I can see the stigma is still there, it's just changed shape a bit. And none of it really touches on severe and enduring mental illness - if I can't get out of bed because I'm having a panic attack or I feel too depressed to move nobody outside my family really gives a shit, if instead I were to go out in the street and start loudly arguing with myself people would be freaked out and concerned I was about to attack them.

It isn't really about mental health though. None of the mental health conversations seem to include conditions such as autism, ticks, diagnosed anxiety, Bipolar, Paranoia, Eating disorders, psychosis, Schizophrenia etc.

Autism is not a mental illness.

Nah fuck mental health awareness, we've all had plenty of that by now. If there's anyone left who hasn't heard the message it can only be through actively avoiding it. A massive, unpopular increase in funding for treatment of mental illness is what's needed, not encouraging everyone who feels a bit stressed about exams or glum about their shitty job to swamp the already cut-beyond-the-bone services for those with mental illness.