There seems to be an unhealthy attitude surrounding mental health in society. There is not enough discussion about the topic, and when it is raised it seems to make people uncomfortable. The attitude around it seems to range from a complete aversion to the topic to an adoption of it as almost a fashion statement.

It also seen as less legitimate than a physical ailment, and that it is something you have to be
ashamed of, to keep secret. Mental disorders are like an invisible illnessdifferent
from, say, a broken leg, but can still be debilitating to a person’s everyday life. 9 out of 10 people who have a
mental illness or disorder report facing discrimination and stigma, whether it be from media or
society.

Robin Williams, who was an iconic figure in American media, was just one of the many victims of depression. When he took his own life, the action shocked fans of his all around the world. No one would have ever suspected that a man who inspired so many children and adults and made them laugh would be suffering from such a debilitating mental illness. In media, mental disorders tend to be marginalized, or are used to reduce characters to a single
concept. It maintains their chemical imbalance as their one defining trait. Movies like “Heathers” paint depression among teenagers as common, and brush depression off as mere teen angst.

Of course society has come a long way from shock therapy and completely keeping the mentally ill separate from the rest of society, and more than ever resources are available, but there still tends to be a disconnect. The deinstitualization of the mentally ill may bring them out of these institutions, but many end up living on the streets with a lack of support or access to help with housing and finding a job. The American mental health system is inadequate at best, and the repercussions of this is seen through mass violence events such as school shootings.
But the truth is that most people in America that have a mental illness and every year there are nearly 43 million that are diagnosed with one do not have these violent tendencies. However, the occurrence of acts of violence occur so often that it’s easy to pinpoint the lack of mental health support in America as a big culprit. Although saying things like “I’m so OCD”, or “I’m so bipolar” may not seem to be a big deal when someone is just saying it in passing, and while those phrases are used hyperbolically in everyday language, real people who suffer from them are shut off from society.

School children are taught sex education and to stay away from drugs and alcohol, but mental
health is rarely brought up. But when depression occurs in 1 in every 5 children under the age of
18, it’s evident that it is time to start a conversation about mental health-a real one.