Today I noticed that the Twitter hashtag #MyMentalHealthIn5Words was trending. I had a look at what people were posting, and then made my contribution:
We should talk about this.
Mental health and mental illness both seem to be in the news a lot these days. Just this morning, the radio told me that the suicide rate in Bhutan is going up. (Sorry, I can’t find the programme reference to point you to.) We’re hearing constantly about the opioid crisis in Canada. We’re hearing about our military veterans and their families, struggling to cope with what they’ve been through.
And yet… we’re not talking.
We’re talking in broad terms, of course. Like, Wow, there’s an epidemic of depression / addiction / PTSD out there and we should really do something about that. Let’s throw some money at that and make it somebody else’s problem. We see new awareness initiatives launched all the time.
But when was the last time somebody said to you, in person, You know, I’m having a really hard time right now? When was the last time somebody answered you with anything other than “I’m fine,” which we all know is a lie? And when was the last time you asked someone “How are you?” and really wanted to hear a true answer?
For the most part, I’m no better than anyone else when it comes to speaking out. I hide my scars. I don’t tell strangers what I’ve been through. I perpetuate the stigma as much as anybody else does.
The truth is, I am not fine. A lot of people aren’t fine. We should talk about this.
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