Mental health problems are not contagious!
Inspirational Teens
I know a lot of people with eating disorders and mental health
issues and they are always in awe of my ability to talk about my
experience. You know why? Because they, and I, know all too well the
stigma surrounding these issues, sure, they mightn’t be the nicest
things to have to face but I have to deal with them and I believe
that I shouldn’t be made to feel belittled simply because I am sick.
People with these types of problems don’t deserve to be shunned or
sidelined because of it, they deserve love, and caring and, I believe, a
basic understanding of what they are going through. Mental health
problems are not contagious; you won’t catch one just by talking
about them.
Battling the voices in your head
You won’t catch one by talking to me, you won’t catch
one by being in the same room as me and you certainly
won’t catch one by being my friend.
Eating disorders and other mental issues are not contagious. You’re
safe, you can’t catch what I have, but even so mental health problems
among adolescents are on the rise. In 2012 more 1800 people
suffered an eating disorder related death, a number higher than
the annual road toll. It deeply saddens me, then, that driver safety
gets such a large amount of air time on TV and radio advertising
whereas I have never seen an advertisement warning people about
the dangers of mental health disorders. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not
saying that we should stop trying to help people drive more safely,
I just believe that in this day and age I, along with any other people
suffering from a mental health disorder, should not be made to feel
like it is shameful to have a chemical imbalance in the brain, because
that is all that causes a mental health disorder. After everything that
someone with anorexia, depression or any number of their related
disorders goes through, being made to feel like they should keep
quiet about it is the last thing they need.
http://youtu.be/by6RBQTMpFQ
Early intervention is the key to resolving a mental health disorder.
The average duration for an anorexia sufferer is seven years. This
is too long. By getting these issues into the mainstreams we can
all help to aid the funding of research for new treatment, and thus
reduce the amount of time someone has to suffer.
The chances are you all know somebody with a mental health
problem. And if you think you don’t then you are wrong. You know
me. I’m Mahalia, I’m 15, my favourite colour is teal, I spend way too
long on Instagram and I suffer from anorexia, depression and selfharm. And I have never said that out loud bef