You are what you Suffer from?

" I would rather have anything wrong with my body than something wrong with my head, but the idea seemed so involved and wearisome that I didn't say anything. I only burrowed down further in the bed.” - Sylvia Plath


People with mental illnesses often feel, when they are told by their doctors or psychiatrists that they have an illness, that they become their illness. The name for mental illnesses like depression or bi-polar disorder often become labels and burdens to those who suffer from the illnesses. However, their illness does not define them and it is not fair to assume that their illness is all that they are as a person. There are many people who go all throughout their life suffering from a mental illness and not even know that they have it, and they go on and live relatively normal lives. However, when they are finally diagnosed with their illness, they believe that their illness is now who they are. Actually, it is known that when a person is reinforced with their illness as a label it only decreases their chances of recovering or finding healthy ways to combat it. For example, people with depression try to find healthy ways to cope with their illness. However, once they are told they are depressed it is harder for them to ignore the label of the illness and get better. I believe that there should not be a reinforcement of the title or name of the illness once a person is diagnosed because it does not do the individual any better to know, rather it often hinders them. Yes, they should be aware of their illness if it is one that debilitates their everyday lives; however, that should not be overly reinforced.

Labels from Society

Society often creates bad connotations of mental illnesses or believes that everyone who suffers from a mental illness fits under one stereotype pertaining to that illness. It seems as though many people often believe that if you suffer from bi-polar, you are very unstable and moody and not someone who can function in society properly. However, contrary to popular belief, there are many who suffer from bi-polar that live relatively normal lives.
It seems as though society adopts stereotypes for individuals with mental illness that make them seem widely unstable and people who cannot function. That is to say, there are some people who suffer from an extreme form of their illness and cannot function properly in society; however, they are not the majority of those who suffer from illnesses. It is not correct to place a bad connotation onto those who suffer from mental illnesses; it is not something they chose to have. Much of it is due to mental and chemical imbalances in the brain. There should be an elimination of bad connotations placed onto any mental illness, because if we want to help another human who may suffer from an illness we must get rid of wrongly preconceived notions about their illness, so as not to hinder their recovery or hinder any chances of them living with the disorder peacefully.