Introduction
The issue of mental health is stigmatized and often pushed under the rug. It is not something that people openly talk and discuss about.
The taboo around mental health has prevented numerous people with some form of mental illness to express themselves and reach out for professional help. Hence, they suffer in silence.
Avoiding or delaying to seek help only worsens the symptoms and elevates the illness.
De-Stigmatizing Mental Illness
Currently, the topic of mental health has surfaced all over social media creating more awareness and now, people are not as uncomfortable as they were earlier.
This has created a safe space for people with mental illness to come out and talk about their experiences with the hope to reach out and help others who might be in similar situations.
Nevertheless, like most things, there is a flipside- one that can be dark and negative. The internet as always, has not left this out for the clout, it has clutched this matter and repeatedly uses it for fame.
The widespread destigmatizing of mental health, if you notice the pattern, has paved the way for many people including influencers and celebrities to use the matter of mental illness to their advantage.
Many of them use it to garner sympathy from the public and gain instant fame. This is obviously ethically wrong and creates a very unhealthy notion of the subject.
Capitalism on Mental Health
Capitalism, like always, has found a way to dig its claws into this subject as well. What I mean by this is, the social structures and institutions of our postmodern world continues to impact us even in ways concerning our mental health.
Think about the whole ‘self care’ industry. Companies are selling us all sorts of products with the idea that it will fill the void in us. These companies sell us the idea that we should love ourselves by indulging in our luxuries.
We must by all means, take care of our physique but we must consider if this actually contributes to taking care of our mental needs.
Next, we have the so-called therapy applications and books that give you a list of things to do like ‘drink water’ or ‘go for a walk’.
Edited by - Sandhya R
The issue of mental health is stigmatized and often pushed under the rug. It is not something that people openly talk and discuss about.
The taboo around mental health has prevented numerous people with some form of mental illness to express themselves and reach out for professional help. Hence, they suffer in silence.
Avoiding or delaying to seek help only worsens the symptoms and elevates the illness.
De-Stigmatizing Mental Illness
Currently, the topic of mental health has surfaced all over social media creating more awareness and now, people are not as uncomfortable as they were earlier.
This has created a safe space for people with mental illness to come out and talk about their experiences with the hope to reach out and help others who might be in similar situations.
Nevertheless, like most things, there is a flipside- one that can be dark and negative. The internet as always, has not left this out for the clout, it has clutched this matter and repeatedly uses it for fame.
The widespread destigmatizing of mental health, if you notice the pattern, has paved the way for many people including influencers and celebrities to use the matter of mental illness to their advantage.
Many of them use it to garner sympathy from the public and gain instant fame. This is obviously ethically wrong and creates a very unhealthy notion of the subject.
However, with the amount of content available now, it is difficult to spot the difference between genuine and fake as we fall into the rabbit hole of the Internet.
Capitalism on Mental Health
Capitalism, like always, has found a way to dig its claws into this subject as well. What I mean by this is, the social structures and institutions of our postmodern world continues to impact us even in ways concerning our mental health.
Think about the whole ‘self care’ industry. Companies are selling us all sorts of products with the idea that it will fill the void in us. These companies sell us the idea that we should love ourselves by indulging in our luxuries.
This is nothing but instant gratification which comes in the way of true healing. Online shoppers agree to fall into this trap, we buy products after products but it doesn’t satisfy us.
We must by all means, take care of our physique but we must consider if this actually contributes to taking care of our mental needs.
Next, we have the so-called therapy applications and books that give you a list of things to do like ‘drink water’ or ‘go for a walk’.
I really don’t know if this has proven helpful to people but if it has, then please continue but I hardly believe so, these apps are just predators who leach onto the disorders of people and make money off of them.
Therapy is expensive, most people cannot afford it and when that happens, they resolve to a cheaper solution; seeking help through the Internet and these applications. While doing so, can cause more harm than when it initially began.
Therapy is expensive, most people cannot afford it and when that happens, they resolve to a cheaper solution; seeking help through the Internet and these applications. While doing so, can cause more harm than when it initially began.
So I urge that you do your research before falling into any of these scams.
Conclusion
Capitalism when it goes further down the road blocks us from getting the help that we really need. It gets the way of our true healing which begins by seeking professional help.
We must be aware of these industries, ‘motivation speakers,’ and anything on the Internet to be honest that disguises itself as mental care. We should
take caution while looking into these issues as we do when we look up a physical illness.
Do not discriminate nor glorify a mental illness. Seek help, there is more to what we are currently experiencing and we will get through it when we receive the care that is needed.
Written by - Kim Houkip
Conclusion
Capitalism when it goes further down the road blocks us from getting the help that we really need. It gets the way of our true healing which begins by seeking professional help.
We must be aware of these industries, ‘motivation speakers,’ and anything on the Internet to be honest that disguises itself as mental care. We should
take caution while looking into these issues as we do when we look up a physical illness.
Do not discriminate nor glorify a mental illness. Seek help, there is more to what we are currently experiencing and we will get through it when we receive the care that is needed.
Written by - Kim Houkip
Edited by - Sandhya R
Social