By: Rachael Schirato

They can’t know.

Imagine jolting awake, quickly realizing it’s just another nightmare depicting your worst fear. But that’s pointless now; it already came true. The day you left class shaking, breathless, and on the brink of tears, started the downward spiral of treatment. That doesn’t sound right. Treatment shouldn’t be worse than the disease itself, but for many, it is.

This horror scenario is reality for people living with a mental illness, because people with a mental health condition must contend with society’s common stigma on matters concerning the brain. We must fight this stigma that is almost more painful than typical ridicule in an attempt to help people find the courage to get help, to join the already existing movement, and to further develop available legal accommodations.

People often avoid situations that make them uncomfortable, and for many, this means avoiding talking about or to people with a mental illness. This must end. Through education and exposure, people can learn to accept mental illness for what it is: just another treatable disease.

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness at some point in their lifetime. Beyond this, 1 in 25 people will experience a severe mental illness, leading to non functionality in everyday life.

Severe mental illness can cause a person to lose inhibitions or motivations. Often people with a mental illness, if left untreated, may lose interest in normally stimulating things, withdraw from society, stop attending social events, fall behind in school or at work, and behave erratically.

According to the Washington Post in severe cases, people with a mental illness may be responsible for the most violent crimes. Because of this high potential risk for people with a mental condition, it’s imperative that these people receive treatment immediately. While secretly most may want treatment, society’s strong stigma towards mental health has kept many from seeking the help they need. .

While there are so many still untreated, numerous people are taking the pledge to stay #stigmafree. NAMI, has an ongoing initiative to end stigma towards mental health conditions. NAMI is only one of many who have strived to end mental health stigma, including many schools, organizations, and healthcare personal.

The Canadian Bell Let’s Talk movement encourages people to speak up about the reality of mental illness. On their National #Bellletstalk day in January, millions of people posted, wrote, or talked about the importance of a stigma free world. Let’s join this movement to end stigma and hopefully inspire others to get the treatment they deserve.

Beyond the stigma these massive movements are working to end, there are serious legal issues present. The court systems has done little to recognize a mentally ill person’s disability when dealing out justice. People with a mental illness are not cognitively the same as a person without an illness and therefore should not be legally treated the same. For example, is it fair to fully persecute a man with schizophrenia who had a panic attack and accidentally pushed down an innocent bystander?

This concept remains the same for mundane topics like SAT testing. When taking a standardized test a person with a mental illness may have difficulty completing the test with a time restriction and numerous distractions. By ending stigma on mental illness,we will push the courts to legally recognize and support people with a mental illness.

Living with a mental illness is not like having a broken bone. Instead of sympathy and flowers, you get dirty looks, veiled threats, silent judgement, or forced pity. Historically people have chosen not to recognize mental illness as a real problem, but now the world is speaking up. Join the movement to end stigma towards mental illness.