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MYTH: MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE RARE AND YOU CAN EASILY “SNAP OUT OF IT”.
You’re just hungry, go and eat something…
You’re only tired, get some rest…
You’re thinking too much, it’s not that deep…
You’re only giving excuses, stop being lazy!
As long as you’re not roaming the street like a mad man, then you’re fine mentally.
These and many more, are the statements and comments that ignorant people make to people sincerely struggling with their mental health, thus unconsciously stigmatizing them and making them believe that they are to blame for their problems.
When these victims have lost all hope and see no help in sight, some may take the drastic decision of ending their lives, yet these set of ignorant individuals will still comment on how “they were weak-minded”, or “how they took the easy way out to escape life’s problems.” Others may wonder; “why didn’t he/she speak out?!”
But they did!, They spoke up, but regrettably, to the wrong people, people who do not believe in the possibility of mental health challenges and are blinded by wrong beliefs.
This is because they have failed to understand the original concept of mental health,
A person’s mental health isn’t just about the absence of a mental disorder. According to WHO (2004), an individual must be able to function independently, cope with life’s stresses and engage in consistent self-care to be considered mentally healthy.
According to this explanation, a huge percentage of today’s population might not be considered mentally healthy because, 75% of people experience various form of stress daily (APA, 2020), 25% of adults report poor sleep quality, (CDC, 2019), etc.
These statistics and more, highlight the fact that a lot of people battle with issues that actually affect their mental health but out of ignorance or other factors, they are unable to solve these problems because they cannot pinpoint the source and how it affects their daily living.
Mental Health issues are real and very common, infact according to WFMH, 1 out of 4 individuals battle with these issues. As long as your are a human being with emotions, feelings and air in your lungs, you’re very much prone to these issues. The best you can do for yourself is ultimately care for your mind as much as much as you care for your body.
