The following post will be the first of many (I'm sure) about depression and stigma. Though I haven't contacted her to ask permission to do so, I am using Allie Brosh as an illustrative example here. Ms. Brosh is the author of a widely followed and hilarious webcomic-blog entitled, "Hyperbole and a Half" (http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/). I feel okay about using her as an example here because A) she made her story public and freely available online, and B) I am linking to her related content to let it speak for itself. Check it out:
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Hyperbole-and-a-half+%28Hyperbole-And-A-Half%29
What's my point in sharing this with you? Well, first and foremost, I think it's vitally important to challenge -- and seek to debunk -- the many stigmas and false notions associated with mental health issues, including depression. Ms. Brosh did a very brave thing by self-disclosing her struggle with depression, especially since she surely knew her post would be read closely by thousands of people. She also surely knew that any conclusions about her and her content, once published, would be beyond her control, and in the hands of the masses, for better and worse. Do a quick Google search, and you'll notice there are quite a few posts and questions and comments about her depression -- the mill has been spinning.
Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-injury, schizophrenia, personality disorders, PTSD, mania, hypomania, addictions, etc. etc. etc. just ARE. They do not denote a deficiency in character. One who experiences these disorders cannot simply "snap out of it." It's not a thing to be laughed at. Like all other human experiences, it is to be viewed through a lens of compassion.
There's a certain paranoid humor that's commonly shared among students and practitioners who have familiarized themselves with diagnostic criteria for mental health disorders; namely, the symptoms of the disorders are personally recognizable in each of us. If you look back at my post about behavior occurring on a continuum, you'll understand my way of thinking about why this is the case. Sadness, elation, hyperactivity, anxiety, doubt, confusion, paranoia, disorientation, passive-aggressiveness, obsessiveness, poor decision-making, and irrational beliefs, feelings, and behaviors are all things that perfectly "healthy," "normal" (haha) people all experience periodically. You, dear reader, experience these things periodically. So if you get the chance, crack open a DSM-IVtr and notice how quickly you recognize many of the symptoms and signs of XYZ disorder within yourself. Pun intended: it's really crazy.
Here's the kicker about all that: if you can acknowledge that you experience those things sometimes, you can begin to understand mental health "disorders"; and this means that you can show yourself and your brethren some respect when they exhibit the signs thereof. And you can relax, then, and be accepting, and kind, and compassionate, and helpful. Life can be difficult, you guys. Our systems of government, structures of society, and acceptable social behavior standards simply aren't a natural fit for all 7 or so billion of us here on planet earth. Open your mind if it's closed. Fight against stigma; fight against cruelty; fight against unfair, discriminatory policies: it's a human rights issue.
It is an interesting experience when reading /learning the DSM for the first time. I was warned (thank goodness) that I would start diagnosing myself with at least one if not several of the disorders in each section and sure enough... Each disorder is an exasperation/exaggeration of common human experiences and characteristics. What makes them problemati, or not, largely depends on circumstance and an individuals place in society/geographic location. Normality and disorder are socially constructed and this is even evident in something as black and white (or actually more muddy and gray) as diagnostic criteria. For example hallucinations in one culture may be considered evidence of schizophrenia or mania in one culture but considered a normal spiritual occurence in another. Or certain behavior during times of grief and loss may be determined normal whereas it wouldn't be under different conditions. Beliefs, concepts, diagnosis are constructed, they are given certain meaning because society deems it so. Similar to currency for example... So as mental health professionals, as empathic and compassionate individuals, as fellow human beings, we can reconstruct the stigma and the definitions which have been ascribed to mental health disorders. If enough people believe and live in ways that normalize mental health disorders and support compassionate treatment and necessary assistance, it will be so. Now that's a trend I would like to see catch on.
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