The commodification of mental illness
Mental illness has been around ever since people could think which is a really long time to say the least.
Picture a caveman who doesn't want to hunting for mammoths with his mates one day and just lies in his corner of the cave. Hilarious, I know.
Unlike conventional illnesses, and disorders, mental illnesses and disorders don't usually have visible signs or symptoms of disease unless you consider changes in behavioural patterns. For this very reason it's extremely easy to presume that a person suffering from a mental disease is being idle or unproductive of their volition.
This is indeed one of the greatest struggles of those who suffer from mental illness, to get their struggle recognised and to obtain the help they desperately indeed. Instead of receiving help they're treated with scorn and derision.
Fortunately as of recently, much light has been shed on mental health and the need to take care of it just as you would take care of your body. Steadily, mental health is losing the stigma associated with it. A great example is that of the American gymnast Simone Biles.
She was widely expected to bag multiple medals at the Olympics in Japan last year, however she bowed out before such a chance could present itself as she was suffering from mental health issues.
Most spectators and viewers were supportive and encouraging to her statement. We've progressed, the hill hasn't been climbed but the trek has started.
However along with this gradual acceptance of mental health into mainstream society, some have cunningly taken advantage of this progress. This is the topic I wish to elaborate on today.
Ever heard of Munchhausen Syndrome? It's not as widely recognised as, say Down's Syndrome or Turner's Syndrome since it doesn't have a significant physical disorder. Rather it is a behavioural disorder.
Simply put, Munchhausen Syndrome occurs when a person fakes an illness to gather sympathy and/or attention.
You can calm down, that time you faked a cold so you wouldn't have to go to school isn't a sign of Munchhausen syndrome. If you do it as an adult then we get into murkier waters.
Munchhausen syndrome got it's name from a fictitious character known as Baron Munchhausen who told others extremely exaggerated stories of his valour in war. He earned quite the reputation for a liar.
In a way it's ironic, those afflicted by this disorder wanted an illness, and they got one. Of faking an illness.
Munchhausen syndrome has increased exponentially in modern times largely due to two factors:
- Social Media
- Awareness of Mental Illness
Social Media helps people to transmit information at a incredibly speed with the boon of being less accountable for what you post depending on your anonymity. It's easy to feign an illness if you only have to be feign it for a picture or a few minutes for a video. Moreover you get multiple tries to get the "perfect shot".
In addition to being a means to act on this need to fake an illness more easily, it can also act as an instigator for Munchhausen Syndrome. Social media offers a way to get validation and praise, be it shallow or insincere. Users often attach an inordinate value to the number of positive comments and likes they get and this can lead them into doing things they usually wouldn't do in search of that dopamine rush. There's a reason why "Munchhausen by Internet" is its own thing.
Now let's assume you aren't on social media and you have to keep on faking an illness in front of other people. Now this increases your risk of being caught in your lie.
For example let's assume that you want to fake a limp. No matter how meticulous you are, ultimately you're human and chances are you'll slip unknowingly and earn a mob of angry former well-wishers.
So you want something easier to fake, something that isn't so conspicuous, something that can't be tested for, something that can't be easily recognised. Ding Ding Ding! That's right mental illness!
Sure you're still liable to let something slip but if questioned, it's your word against theirs. No X-Rays or Temperatures to be given as proof, so it's already in your favour.
These two factors combined together make it easier to dupe the masses and are by proxy reducing the seriousness of mental illness and indeed making a joke of people who are in actual mental duress.
It's an issue on which my opinion is rigid and one on which I feel strongly.
If you go out on any of your social media and scroll around for a bit, I guarantee that you will find a "depression" post within minutes. Making light of one of the most mental illness is making a mockery of the thousands who genuinely can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Black and white pictures don't mean you're suffering from depression. A quote about depression doesn't mean you're suffering from depression.
The line blurs ever more because now you can't tell who's faking it and who's not. What if you're telling a person who's actually suffering from depression to stop faking it? All those years of awareness starts to come undone.
The need for attention is natural, it feels great to be noticed and even greater to be sympathized with and yet one must achieve this attention of his/her own merit.
And while I am on this sensitive topic, I feel like highlighting the need for therapy is prudent.
The prevailing idea of therapy is that it's for people who are mentally "not all there". This is not true, therapy is meant to be used by well, everyone.
Ever felt like talking with a friend person about something made you feel way better about it and made you feel accepted? Talking to friends is great, but when it comes to mental stress(something which most of the world experiences today) asking a friend for help is like like asking the blind to lead the blind.
Therapists are professionally trained and moreover they are usually unbiased, so you can expect help of the highest order.
Therapy doesn't have a threshold to clear to be eligible, you can avail it at anytime and it can work wonders for you. So it would be prudent to not see therapy as some inapproachable boogeyman.
Let's learn to ask for help when we need it.
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