Reaching Truth: What Glamorizing Mental Illness Really Does

Photo by Michelle Heppner | @michelleeheppner

Anxiety is a thief; an unwelcome stranger who knocks on your door any hour of the day. Whether you are expecting it or not, it will let itself in and wreak havoc on your abode, causing shortness of breath and the feeling of an anvil eternally resting on your chest. 

We, as humans a part of a society, treat real criminal break-ins with serious caution and detest. So, why is it when anxiety, and mental illness in general, trespasses into our lives, we sometimes romanticize and glorify it in hopes of coming across as “poetic”? When music, film and art is created to glamorize mental illness, rather than to magnify the serious effects of it, the light is removed from those who are in critical need of help. This also causes some doubters to believe others use mental illness as an attention grab, which also puts those living with mental illness at risk because they are reluctant to step forward.

There is a difference between occasionally feeling anxious and having an anxiety disorder. A disorder is constant and disabling, causing someone to feel like they are drowning in fear and panic everyday. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders - the most common form of mental illness in the U.S. - directly affects 18 per cent of the American population, never mind the percentage of those who feel the effects as a bystander to someone who they know is living with an anxiety disorder.

Often, we make lighthearted jokes about mental illness. Common ones include saying things like, “My OCD is acting up again,” when we neatly square-up a stack of books. Or, “I’ve eaten so much ice cream today; it’s depressing.” Although these expressions seem harmless, they only add to the stigma of mental illness, and are typically said by those who don’t understand its real effects. 

In American culture, glamorized cases of mental illnesses can be perceived through social media, movies, music, photography, art, etc. These cases misconstrue mental illness to make it seem appealing and beautiful, when acknowledging how someone living with a mental disorder feels, is tossed aside. With mental illness being glamorized in the media, we are also wrongfully taught how to comfort and assist those in need of a helping hand.

I believe the most important thing to remember is, if you are not personally going through it, you will never fully understand it, consequently you have limited say in the matter. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America says only one-third of people living with anxiety disorders receive help. This statistic is shocking, considering anxiety disorders are highly treatable. The question is, if anxiety disorders are as simple to treat as they say, why are people not reaching out for help? Among many possible reasons, the one that typically stands out is because patients fear they will get grouped in with the few who pretend to have a mental illness in order to receive sympathy and attention.

Mental illness is not a trend, so let’s stop glamorizing it like it is one.