Is talking about mental health actually important as the media says? -

[AF 802]

This is a topic I've been thinking about, since it seems to be all over all types of media. I see people talking about how you shouldn't be ashamed about mental illness and that getting treatment is the most important thing one should get. I've also seen people say that the talk about mental health is just fetishizing an important topic and shouldn't be talked about this much. Even Trump was talking about mental health issues in regards to mass shooters. What is the real point, that people talk about mental health too much, or it should be talked about more?

I think it's an important topic, but I think it starts with those you know instead of some celebrity telling you to go to therapy. The media's a good start, but it really should start with friends and family in my opinion. If they think you're about ready to off yourself, they should get you into treatment instead of you forcing yourself to go to a treatment center. People in this way are just going to think some Hollywood celebrity has it good, and that they shouldn't listen to them. It's a thing that everyone needs to take part in.

 

[Freddy Freaker]

General awareness is important and there shouldn't be stigma around talking to your family and loved ones or seeking help. The problem is idiots oversharing or even bullshitting on tumblr and instagram for asspats and making mental illness STUNNING AND BRAVE

 

[The Shadow]

Let's not, it's hard enough to get an appointment to get my happy pills without MORE people getting mental help and oversaturing the patient:doctor ratio further.

 

[saisegeha]

The problem is that nowadays mental illness is almost seen as some sort of badge/"cool" to make you stand out so most people who'd actually need awareness feel like "they're normal" since "everyone else" has it, while in reality most just put on an act to seem interesting or are eternally stuck in their Nirvana phase.

 

[bev]

Agreed on spreading awareness. It's one thing to be aware of the existence of mental health issues and to normalize the treatment of those issues; but it's an entirely different thing to normalize the existence of those issues. Basically, we need to make sure we don't make being depressed/anxious/neurotic the new normal. Although we're rapidly approaching that point.

If we do, we risk treating the symptoms rather than the main contributor to the increase of these issues, whatever it may be.

 

[BW 182]

This should probably go to Deep Thoughts.

As for the question, I think it's that the mainstream is now hyper-analyzing it, because there is a lot of money to be made in it. Think of BetterHelp and YouTube for example. Many also want to remove accountability and "be a part of change", which is why they speak about it more than they attempt to do about it. It would involve an actual societal change to accommodate and assist those in need, yet it's much easier to just use the topic to get in good graces. Ask these people when's the last time they just listened to someone go on and on about problems or stress, rambling about shit like a schizo, and you'll usually get a confused look.

The majority of people who need assistance should have a detour arrow to their nearest counselor or mental health facility at this point. Most people don't care about the struggle or hurt of others, for better or worse, but talking about mental health as a business/person allows money/good PR to come in at the expense of almost nothing.

 

[FA 855]

The push of mental health to the mainstream has many angles, one could argue naively in my opinion its just to help people down on their luck and society is just trying to help people who feel excluded and depressed. But I argue that their is several layers of machination beneath that veneer of altruism. First consider the case of "Betterhelp" a company on Reddit that was promoted all the time, investigation revealed shady practices, reading the terms and conditions, as people rarely do these days, reveals that they absolve themselves of 'poor counselling' recommend you to get real counselling as theirs is just a shitty middleman service akin to TransLifeLine and so on.
Every person who signed up to that contributed to the mainstreaming of mental illness and the commercialization as a industry of mental illness, its all about money. Social status and being stunning and brave is an overlap of this.
Mental health is discussed often because its the hip thing to do, TV shows do it, news does it, Betterhelp does it, and why, because money talks. Who doesn't want to appear as a 'caring' and 'empathetic' person online, but give these people a really mentally ill person and they'll do anything to be rid of them.
I think many mentally ill people are people who have not self actualised (or realised self potential and understanding of the self) they are directionless, purposeless and need a job, hobby or/and friend to do so. I think self-reflection aids greatly in mentally ill people moving to better places, in our hyper-extroverted land of happy pills this is a neglected solution.

 

[Star Stuff]

I think the important people should be aware and condense it in a way that the general populace can digest. Important people being those with masters and experience in dealing and quantifying mental disease. Not fucking FurLover6969 or whatever. The right people need to discuss it. Much like a mechanic needs to discuss your car problems with you, but you won't necessarily want his opinion on how to cut some veal.

There's nothing brave about being in pain. It's a tragedy and needs to be treated as such. To glorify pain is to ignore the terrors it can cause when denied or left unaddressed. That's the stuff that kills people.

Sorry for slight dramaticism.

 

[Nice Ice]

I feel it should definitely be more affordable and less stigmatised to get therapy. But like some people like the headmates retards think it's so cool to have a mental illness that makes you larp as someone else or to pretend your a Fucking deer boy. Gotta be the most special snowflake in the blizzard apparently.

 

[Recoil]

I think not living in an insane clown world might be the best thing for mental health (second only to logging off), but increased awareness is a net positive.
At the same time, 'raising awareness' comes off as pitifully half assed. If there's a guy dying in a ditch next to me and I stand there doing nothing but pointing and saying "LOOK!", I too am raising awareness. I'm not doing anything to help, but I'm raising awareness.

There's nothing brave about being in pain.

There are a few older generations who would disagree with you. I had a friend who's a damn fine cardiologist tell me that the leading cause of death for old war vets was heart disease.
"Why's that?"
"Because they all have PTSD and most of them think therapy is for faggots. They ball it up and jam it deep down inside until their heart fails."
The stigma is huge and deeply ingrained.

 

[Chicken Picnic]

Definitely in blokes, so many guys wont talk about their mental health cause they think they're weak or stupid for feeling the ways they do. Hence why suicide is the biggest killer of men under 40.

A lot of people also don't actually know what a lot of mental health conditions even are. People still think schizophrenia and bipolar mean you have multiple personalities and only veterans can get PTSD. Also, stigma is a huge issue when it comes to the big illnesses like schizophrenia, no one wants that label so they won't go telling anyone they're hearing voices until its too late and they do something really stupid.

i literally wrote my entire thesis on the stigma surrounding schizophrenia and psychosis in general, i could sperg on this for hours so i'll stop now

 

[Y2K Baby]

No.

 

[Sexual Chocolate]

If anything it makes it worse.

AA is bullshit because the last thing alcoholics need is to be around other alcoholics, constantly talking about alcohol. They just need to not drink.

The STUNNING and BRAVE bullshit about mental health makes it worse because it encourages people to self-diagnose as mentalists for those sweet social media asspats, while people with genuine crazy issues need pills, therapy, and to be around sane people to stay healthy.

Mental health is crowdsourced, because if the group we belong to models sane behaviors it's a lot easier for individuals in the group to stay sane. Healthy social interactions and focusing on positive thoughts help keep people on the right path.

So online communities that encourage people to self-identify as nuts (Tumblr, Twitter, Troons) don't help anyone. They become echo chambers of mental unhealthiness.

Another thing people should stop doing is demonizing crazy pills. Tens of millions of people benefit from SSRI's without becoming 8chan shooters or whatever, but the internet is full of amateur psychiatric doctors who think they know better.

People with clinical depression can't just "snap out of it", they often need pharmaceutical assistance to get their shit together, and that's ok.

 

[I wanna Cum Daddy]

No, because it just creates an influx of false cases and teens trying to be cool. Just look at reddit's meme subs, they're full of edgy 15 year olds talking about killing themselves and making memes about "crippling depression"

 

[Old Wizard]

I feel like we're all past the "beat the mental illness out of your child" ideology, so I think we don't have much more to do. Talking about mental illness won't cure it.

 

[Clop]

it really should start with friends and family in my opinion

And it ends when the hacksaw gets stuck in the pelvic bone.

 

[Eryngium]

Mental health-much like gender-is a spectrum is and I believe everyone should have access to facilities that deal in helping and improving mental health or sex changes, regardless of your nationality.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

I feel it should definitely be more affordable and less stigmatised to get therapy. But like some people like the headmates exceptional individuals think it's so cool to have a mental illness that makes you larp as someone else or to pretend your a Fucking deer boy. Gotta be the most special snowflake in the blizzard apparently.

A lot of it is the result of our educational system & permissive parenting, more so than the medical side. Besides; schools funnel kids into mental health programs now, so $$$.

I think not living in an insane clown world might be the best thing for mental health (second only to logging off), but increased awareness is a net positive.
At the same time, 'raising awareness' comes off as pitifully half assed. If there's a guy dying in a ditch next to me and I stand there doing nothing but pointing and saying "LOOK!", I too am raising awareness. I'm not doing anything to help, but I'm raising awareness.

The "Awareness" trope is just a propagation of "Do Something" culture; and for all those individuals who spend their lives online, joining awareness groups & "supporting" those with mental illness counts as "doing something"..... along with encouraging malingerers & not doing a damn thing about the problem as a whole.

There are a few older generations who would disagree with you. I had a friend who's a damn fine cardiologist tell me that the leading cause of death for old war vets was heart disease.
"Why's that?"
"Because they all have PTSD and most of them think therapy is for faggots. They ball it up and jam it deep down inside until their heart fails."
The stigma is huge and deeply ingrained.

It's also because we're fucking stubborn, have an intense distrust of the medical system, and often don't have a need for meds or support groups; that's what booze & VFW/American Legion are for.

 

[Jeffrey Epstein]

It's as important as the media says, but important in a different way at times. They just want to talk about it in a cyclical sort of way, and keep the issue going every so often. We need to prioritize learning about your own physiology and the processes your body goes through, as well as how you can interact and manipulate things (if people had a lot of knowledge about what their bodies do, this would also help obesity). Knowledge is key because it helps give you a reason to do something! (ignorance is bliss, show people enough rotting mouth photos, as well as what exactly is occurring and why - to the exact detail, and it makes it much more likely that I will take pristine care of my teeth for example).

 

[Death Grip]

If a lot of people relied on their family to intervene on their behalf when they needed meantal health treatment, a lot of people would be dead with the waiting for their nearest and dearest to give a fuck.