Catherine+M’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2017

Understand Mental Illness When people have injuries or illnesses, the victim gets support from peers and isn’t blamed for their physical health. If a person has liver cancer, they are comforted and we all feel sympathy for them. If a person has an organ failure, families and friends are still supportive and encouraging. These people are not shamed for their body’s health because it’s out of their control. Now you might be sitting there thinking “Gracie that’s obvious. I’ve only heard the first few sentences of your speech and I already know it’s going to be horrible.” Not so fast. You see, we all think that we don’t judge people for health problems that are involuntary, but there is one organ that is perceived differently: the brain. The brain just like all of our other organs, undergoes stresses and can undergo problems that develop into mental illnesses. What’s unique about this special organ is the sufferer of these illnesses often is blamed, instead of their disorder. Mental illness in our society, is seen more of as a choice. Something that is a switch that can be turned on and off when in reality it’s an actual health problem. Those who suffer from mental illness often are judged unfairly, misunderstood and blamed for their condition. I’ve witnessed someone suffering from depression get told they are “just too lazy to get out of bed” or they are “just looking for attention.” I’ve witnessed family with anxiety be falsely accused that their disorder isn’t real because “everyone is afraid of something, just get over it already.” And I’ve witnessed friends struggling with eating disorders get told “just eat something, it’s not that hard.” While these comments may have the intention to help, they do the exact opposite because they uncover the truth of how ignorant we as a society truly are regarding mental illness. These simple comments distort the severity of their situation by making a joke out of a serious issue. But more importantly, it makes those suffering feel even more isolated since not even those close to them understand how much they are struggling. It’s not a choice to be depressed. It is not a choice to have anxiety. And it is not a choice to have anorexia. In my family, we are very open about mental illnesses since it’s been prominent for generations. I know the hardships mentally ill people undergo personally, because I have seen closely the effects on the individual, and on my family as a whole. Mental illness doesn’t just affect one person, it also affects those around them. And it’s really difficult. Growing up with a sister that has bipolar disorder has been hard for me, and my family. Some of my earliest memories are of her throwing rages so violently, that my parents had to call the police on their own 6-year-old daughter. I know my sister as almost two separate people. There is a part of her that loves binge-watching dumb comedies with me, laughs all the time, is responsible, compassionate, and loving. But there is another side of her that is completely different. This is the side that won’t go to college classes away from home because of anxiety. This is the side that tells me on my 16th birthday “I hope you realize what a mistake you are to me. F you.” This is the side that shouts the f-word at my parents persistently. It’s hard for me to talk about because I’m ashamed. I’m not ashamed of my sister, but I’m ashamed of myself for being embarrassed to talk about this in general. I’m afraid I will lose friendships or people won’t want to come over to my house anymore once they see my sister yelling at me or my parents over something small and irrational. I’m afraid to tell my friends that my almost 21-year-old sister ran away from the house just this week. But most of all, I’m afraid that my sister will be prematurely judged for something that is out of her control. To me, she is the bravest person I know because I have seen her overcome obstacles far greater than I have or ever will. And for that, I can’t have her reduced to a label of “bipolar” because she is so much more. But unfortunately, she does deal with judgement, even from family members, just for being different. Just this week, I was complaining about having to write my college essay. I explained that all of the prompts wanted me to talk about a struggle I had to overcome that shaped me into the person I am today, but since I’m so young and privileged, there isn’t much for me to write about. My cousin turned to me and said, “you’ve had to overcome //someone//” hinting at my sister. That comment outlined my sister as a burden. A burden. But she is someone that I love. Living with my sister hasn’t been something I’ve had to overcome, and people need to understand that about mental illness as a whole. Mental illness is a part of someone. It’s a part of who they are, and you can’t change that. I love my sister for both sides of her, even though it’s confusing and difficult to understand sometimes. I shouldn’t be embarrassed, I should be open and proud to talk about this. And I’m starting to realize that it needs to be talked about on a societal level since my family isn’t the only one effected by mental illness. In fact, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness nearly 20 percent of adults suffer from a mental illness. Look around. In this room and outside of it, people either suffer or know someone with a mental illness. Pretending it doesn’t exist leads to misunderstandings of these disorders. Take my family for example. Bipolar disorder isn’t the only diagnosed mental illness in my family. Depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism, drug addiction, all have been a part of my family, even if it doesn’t seem like it from the outside looking in. Talking about our mental health is extremely important because it opens discussions and lets those suffering know that they are not alone. I want to live in a world where we recognize that mental illness lies on a spectrum. There aren’t two types of people: the “crazy” ones, and the “normal” ones. We all lie somewhere on the scale. Something even like claustrophobia is considered a mental health problem because it’s irrational. Our brains are so intricately wired and connected, it is not a surprise that some people think and respond differently, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of that. Another aspect of mental illness is how it is viewed on the internet. Whenever I see recognition of people’s mental health online, it tends to glamorize it. Social media like Tumblr have romanticized real issues by making it almost “cool” and “angsty” to be depressed or have anxiety. And while I do agree that it is good to post and share experiences and problems we deal with, we need to stray from making it into something it’s not. On a government scale, recognizing and understanding mental illness is crucial for a functional society. When there is proper education and treatment available for underlying mental health problems, it is proven that crime rates go down. In our nation, prison is often a place mentally ill people end up in because there are little resources available from the government to get people the help they need. However, when mentally ill people are in prison, it can be difficult to be properly taken care of. For example, my Uncle who was schizophrenic, was denied his medications while he was in jail, and I can’t imagine what that would’ve been like. In the future I hope there will be a better government system that can help support and fund those suffering from mental illness instead of just putting them in jail. What I mainly want for the future is for people to not view mental illness as a sign of a person’s character. Just like my sister, being bipolar is a part of her, but it doesn’t define her. And although it can be confusing and difficult to understand, being open about mental illness is vital for a more connected and tolerant society. And that is what I hope for in the future.