Reminders: When is Mental Health Awareness Month?

The answer to the above question is, “every month we are aware”.  The official month to wear the black ribbon (or whatever color it might be) does not matter.  What is important is that we pay attention to the attitudes we carry around about people who are mentally ill. 

This article could have started with a joke.  There are lots of them out there, and they are all derogatory.  Why people think it is funny to joke about people with a mental illness but wouldn’t think of joking about someone who has a physical illness, is hard to fathom.  The stigmas around mental illness go back centuries, and though attitudes are slowly changing, stigmas still exist. 

Mental illness, like any other illness, is not the person’s fault.  It is easy to think so, because people who are mentally ill sometimes make poor choices.  We need to realize that the choices are a result of the illness.  The illness is not a result of bad choices! 

Another common misconception is the difference between mental illness and developmental disabilities.  Developmental disabilities often manifest themselves shortly after birth or when a child is not measuring up to the so called “normal” developmental standards of walking and talking by a certain age.  Most children with developmental delays are given special attention by parents and schools to support them in reaching their highest potential. 

On the other hand, mental illnesses often do not manifest themselves fully until the person is in their late teens or early twenties.  Often, it is only recognized by odd or dangerous behavior.  We assume that the person’s “deviant” behavior is on purpose.  Some people want to lock them all up so that they can’t hurt themselves or anyone else.  That is in fact what happened for many years.  More recently, it has been shown that most mental illnesses can be treated like any other illness. Many people recover and are contributing members of society.  Some people, for whom the proper treatment is not available or is refused, cause terrible problems.  The unfortunate result is that they are the ones who cause people to fear all people with mental illnesses.  And that is a sad situation.  Educating ourselves about mental illnesses can help.