On the Topic of Mental Illness

Bella Nadler, Staff Writer

Many mental illnesses are incredibly
hard to properly define and
even harder to deal with. Despite
this, many of the terms are thrown
around in casual conversation,
reinforcing inaccurate stigmas and
misconceptions associated with the
illnesses. You never know who you
are talking to and what they have
experienced.
1. Never use a mental illness to
describe anyone or anything.
Mental illnesses shouldn’t be
used to describe mundane actions
or feelings. Along with
that, those with the mental
illness are not defined by their
condition. Someone has a mental
illness, but it doesn’t define
them.
2. Never turn an illness into a
punchline. Calling someone
with mood swings “so bipolar”
isn’t funny and trivializes the
illness.
3. Don’t joke about self-harm.
4. If you have a question, make
sure it’s actually related to the
illness and not offensive. For
example, asking someone who
has schizophrenia “how many
personalities they have” is out
of line.
5. If you don’t believe in mental
illness, that’s your opinion, but
sharing it with others inflicts
more harm than good. It’s incredibly
offensive to someone
who is diagnosed with a mental
illness.
6. “You don’t look ____.” Mental
illnesses can’t be seen from the
outside. Any stereotypes associated
with the way an illness
“looks” are inaccurate.
7. There is no simple solution
to mental illness. Medication
and therapy don’t work for
everyone. If someone is acting
abnormal, it doesn’t mean they
are “off their meds.”
8. Mental illness cannot be controlled.
Telling someone to
“calm down” or “snap out of
it” is insensitive and shows a
lack of understanding.
9. Mental illness is different for
everyone who experiences
it, so be sensitive to people’s
needs. Even if you’ve gone
through the same situations or
have the same disorder, everyone
is different and handles
these things differently.
The most important thing is to be
respectful. Use compassion in your
judgment. If you think that something
you say might be rude or
unhelpful, just don’t say it.