Mr. Logsdon
AP Lang
18 December 2019
Conquering the Tidal Waves of Mental Health Stigma
I was slumped against the wall of the bathroom stall when I heard those same words I’d heard so many times before, and so many times after. My breath stank and fingers trembled as I ran them through my hair. It felt like my heart was going ten-thousand miles an hour and I was in the passenger seat, completely incapable of slamming my foot on the break. It felt as if I was a lone sailor, captive at sea. The water was thrashing around me and was filling my lungs. The world was going to swallow me whole. That feeling was something I had grown accustomed to.
“It’s just nerves.” Those three words had plagued my existence from the very moment I can remember. It was a mantra instilled in me by the adults in my life. Adults too afraid to confront a possible reality that their child was suffering. Suffering not from the all too common butterflies we get before we give a speech (just like I am now), or asking that special someone out, or confronting your bully - but from something far more serious.
While the scenario I just described is my own, I know I’m not the only person, and especially not the only student, to experience this. In fact, 1 in every 5 teens struggles with mental illness. Even more concerning, 80 percent of children in need of mental health services don’t seek them out (Anderson and Cardoza). Students everywhere are engines running no fuel.
So why is it that we don’t seek out help? Why is it that we bottle these feelings up and push through our work? Let me ask you another question:
By a show of hands, how many of you have experienced issues with your own mental health, but have kept it all inside due to the fear of what might happen if you talk about it?
I understand some of you may be reluctant to raise your hands, and I suspect some of you have still decided to keep your hands down, despite my open invitation. That’s completely okay! Of course I look like a fool but this just goes to prove the stigma. In fact, you wouldn’t be alone in your reluctance to answer my question. In a study, almost 9/10 individuals with mental health problems say that the prejudices associated with mental illness negatively impacts them (“Stigma and Discrimination”). These prejudices can, in most cases, be tied back to the media we consume every day. We read articles and watch the news and scroll mindlessly through Twitter. This information is being processed in our minds and stored at rates I can’t even begin to fathom. Does all of this information serve us well? I’d say no.
Today, we frequently hear about shootings and murders and police brutality and the list goes on. The issue is in the way these tragedies are reported. The Arizona Massacre of 2011 was one of these tragedies. 19 innocent individuals were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona. In the media’s reports of the massacre, the perpetrator of the massacre was frequently referred to as “sick” and “ill” (Ghaemi). Referring to the perpetrator as such, while possibly correct, pushes the stigma even harder. Students may look at this and say, “I can’t be suffering because I would never be pushed to do such a heinous act.” Referring to the perpetrator of the tragedy as such instills guilt, dread and confusion into an individual suffering with the same issues. It causes people to sweep their own issues under the rug only because the media made them believe they don’t have it bad enough.
Let’s return to my earlier question - how reluctant are you to speak about your mental health issues due to the stigma? This impact goes far beyond just answering questions in the classroom. According to the Association for Children’s Mental Health, only 40 percent of students with mental health issues graduate from high school, compared to the national average of 76 percent. Additionally, over 50% of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities ages 14 and older drop-out of high school (“Problems at School”). Not only are students afraid to open up about their struggles as a student suffering with mental health issues, but many leave the academic environment entirely. By mitigating the stigma associated with mental illness, we can not only reduce these statistics, but make educational climates welcoming and more catered to keeping disadvantaged students in the classroom.
Now, how do we go about doing this? The task will be no easy feat, but I predict that the solution isn’t as elusive as many may expect. Let’s look to everyday things in our life. We each have something different that comes to mind when we think of things we consume everyday. For many, the answer might be music. Music surrounds us and envelops our culture. One artist has gained tons of traction and success over the last couple years. Her name is Billie Eilish. Don’t be fooled, I know I sound ridiculous. Let me explain.
Billie Eilish is an 18 year old music sensation. Her songs are leading in a developing genre of pop music called “misery music,” which center around mental illness. Eilish’s music calls attention to the struggle of issues like depression and normalizes discussion of mental health amongst listeners. “Bury a Friend” showcases lyrics such as, “Today, I'm thinkin' about the things that are deadly / The way I'm drinkin' you down / Like I wanna drown, like I wanna end me,” (line 8-10) this bring Billie’s own mental health into the conversation. These lyrics open an unapologetic discussion of the mental health problems teenagers face on a daily basis.
Due to Billie’s strides with her music, adolescents today are far more willing to discuss mental health and fight the established stigma. Billie Eilish is one of the few artists who have catalyzed the discussion of mental health into the cultural spotlight. Now, let’s apply this same willingness to discuss mental health to the current educational system.
In a study published in Children & Schools, educators were untrained on mental health in the classroom. The researchers conducted discussions with focus groups that would accurately represent the varying demographics of the state in which the study was being conducted. In focus groups consisting of educators - despite the sessions lasting for an average of 57 minutes - ability to handle mental health issues was limited (Fraunholtz et. al 75). Community mental health professionals noted that this disparity of knowledge across the board was an impediment to possible intervention efforts in the future. The lack of knowledge of mental health, especially in terms of adolescents and their educators, constructs a painful ignorance around the issue that can lead to suffering adolescents going without intervention.
This issue is one that requires baby-steps to succeed. We can catalyze the removal of the stigma simply by having an open discussion. Our school has made some efforts in opening up this discussion through the yearly suicide talks that some of us dread. This isn't enough. Encouraging students to take time off when they’re feeling overwhelmed, reminding them to talk to their counselors, and crafting a safe space in the classroom would be monumental in making suffering students feel safe and ready to learn in the classroom.
High schoolers go through enough as it is. We work tirelessly for grades we may or may not be satisfied with. We plan for a future we aren’t well-equipped enough to handle. Mental health issues aren’t temporary. The vast majority of those 1 in 5 students will struggle with illness for the rest of their lives if they aren’t encouraged to seek help. Inspire students and peers to be open in how they feel. Inspire students and peers to seek out help when they need it, with no fear of the consequences. Creating an environment in the academic realm that encourages brutal honesty about our struggles as students will make these grueling four years a little more enjoyable. Not a single one of you deserve to be stranded at sea. We can fix this, one wave at a time.
Works Cited
Bathje, Geoff, and John Pryor. “The Relationships of Public and Self-Stigma to Seeking Mental Health Services.” Journal of Mental Health Counseling, vol. 33, no. 2, Apr. 2011, pp. 161–176., doi:10.17744/mehc.33.2.g6320392741604l1.
Eilish, Billie. “Bury a Friend.” WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, Darkroom/Interscope Records, 2019, track 10. Spotify, play.spotify.com/track/4SSnFejRGlZikf02HLewEF?si=FqPsTgF0RcKO60m_bzqpNw?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open.\
Frauenholtz, Susan, et al. “Role of School Employees’ Mental Health Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Collaborations to Support the Academic Success of Students Experiencing Mental Health Distress.” Children & Schools, vol. 39, no. 2, Apr. 2017, pp. 71–79., doi:10.1093/cs/cdx004.
Ghaemi, Nassir. “Stigma: The Deep, Dark Chill of a Society's Smirk.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 14 Jan. 2011, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood-swings/201101/stigma-the-deep-dark-chill-societys-smirk.
“Problems at School: Association for Children's Mental Health.” ACMH, http://www.acmh-mi.org/get-help/navigating/problems-at-school/.
“Stigma and Discrimination.” Mental Health Foundation, 14 Aug. 2018, https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stigma-and-discrimination.
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