What is the world of mental patients like?
We can hardly imagine, because this is a blind spot that ordinary people find hard to touch.
The editor watched a Korean drama from 2020: “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”. The male protagonist is a nurse in a mental hospital, his parents passed away early, and he shoulders the heavy responsibility of taking care of his autistic brother alone, living a difficult and numb life.
During the drama, the editor saw the barrage of insults towards the brother:
“This brother is so selfish, always constraining the protagonist’s life.”
“Why doesn’t he just die?”
…
Autism should be cursed like this?
Should the public be responsible for their bad words towards others?
Have the media reports guided the public opinion positively?
These are the plots of TV dramas. What is the reality like?
Through observation, the attitudes of ordinary people towards mental patients can probably be divided into the following types:
1. Discrimination and avoidance
They have serious prejudices against mental illness patients, fearing that patients may act exaggeratedly and harm themselves; or they believe that patients belong to disadvantaged groups in society, entangling with them too much will be detrimental to themselves.
2. Indifference and ignorance
“Mental illness? Don’t bother with them, stay away from such people in the future, it’s good for everyone.”
3. Ignorant but sympathetic
“They are so pitiful!” Although they do not understand, or even comprehend, they sympathize because of their strong empathy.
4. Accompany and care
These people are mostly the patients’ relatives or friends, who have been continuously understanding and caring for the mental patients.
What are we discriminating against?
The reasons why people discriminate against mental illness patients are mainly intellectual discrimination and behavioral discrimination.
Modern neuroscience has proven that all human mental activities are regulated by the brain. Our joys and sorrows are all manifestations of brain functions. A person’s mental state is related to the brain. When we mention “brain dysfunction,” people easily associate it with terms that have obvious derogatory meanings such as low intelligence, lack of understanding, dementia, stupidity, etc.
Behavioral discrimination is mainly aimed at the characteristics of violence, easily provoked, and difficult to control in mental patients, more common in schizophrenia, personality disorders, manic episodes, etc.
Many people believe that mental illness patients not only have peculiar thoughts, but also peculiar behaviors. Their impressions of mental illness patients still linger in hysterics, psychological abnormalities, and inner evil stereotypes.
Do we really understand mental illness?
In online life, we often hear phrases like:
“Is this kid mentally deficient?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Stay away from me, I’m crazy.”
…
This generation of netizens has long treated mental illness as a topic for mutual teasing.
So, what exactly is mental illness?
In simple terms, it is a disease characterized mainly by the disorder of mental activity, behavior, and neurological functions caused by biological and social factors.
Mental illness is not a very terrible disease, but its treatment process is long, requiring long-term medication and psychological therapy.
In today’s society, many people’s perceptions of mental illness are still stuck in schizophrenia, violence, or even murder and other negative impressions. These deep-rooted prejudices are often guided and stigmatized by the media.
In the reporting of many major social events, the media did not explain from a fair and objective perspective why mental illness patients, after violating the law, would have privileges and leniency such as reduced punishment or not bearing criminal responsibility, but used “mental illness” as a traffic tag, leading wave after wave of “public opinion tide,” so that the public judges with the same eyes as ordinary murderers, repeatedly pushing this group of people into the abyss.
How to treat mental illness patients correctly?
We often think, how can we express our goodwill to mental illness patients?
People suffering from mental illness often have a strong sense of shame, so for them, what is needed is not sympathy and pity but at least respect and understanding. We should not magnify their shortcomings with colored glasses, but encourage them to show their strengths and better integrate into society.
The label of “mentally ill” itself has no meaning, but it can become a barrier, isolating patients as “crazy” and keeping them out of the crowd. If we cannot provide substantive help, please do not discriminate, do not let malicious words become the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Prejudice in human hearts is an insurmountable mountain. We can never fill it, but we do not need to make it higher. If you cannot eliminate prejudice against mental illness patients, then please “keep your distance” and do not cause them secondary harm.
Kind actions can warm a person’s lifetime, while malicious comments or speculations may require a lifetime to heal.
To the patients
Is it okay to be mentally ill? It’s okay!
Appreciate the imperfections, is the breadth and demeanor that modern people should have; accept yourself, it is your unique composure and elegance.
May you gain strength and comfort. May you shine, be elegant, and be reborn~
