Saturday 11 November 2017

Is There a Stigma Against Open Discussions about Mental Illness Online?

a post by Tyler Jacobson for the World of Psychology blog

While more people are becoming sympathetic toward those who struggle with mental illness, there is still push back against “over-sharing” about personal experiences online.

Attitude Toward the Mentally Ill

About 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness a year; and with rising healthcare costs, fewer of those people can seek treatment. So when professional treatment becomes unavailable, these people (especially young people) turn to online forums to find help.

Yet misplaced feelings of shame may silence some. Others who want to share their experiences with mental illness and find healing in sharing are being stigmatized. It doesn’t help that standard attitudes toward the mentally ill (both online and off) generally fall into these categories:
  • “You need to get over it” – Like mental illness is a cold being complained about, many people consider mental illness just an excuse sufferers are using to get sympathy. There is little to no sympathy expressed by these people and generally become irritated or angry with those who are dealing with mental illness.
  • “Have you tried being happy?” – Those with this attitude have at least some sympathy for those with mental illnesses, but run out of patience quickly if the person doesn’t “perk up” soon. Yet, more teens and millennials suffer from depression than any other age group.
  • “You’re just looking for attention” – Possibly one of the most offensive, these people do not care about those struggling with mental illness. They also tend to invalidate the idea that mental illness is a real problem.
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