THE ROMANTICISM OF MENTAL ILLNESS

    We live in a generation where mental health issues are often being romanticized, to an extent where they seem to be desirable. Portraying mental illness on social websites, books or movies is a path that must be approached with caution. Mental health issues are real, and they can ruin lives and people who genuinely suffer with them often find them embarrassing and near impossible to talk about. On the other side, there are others who see them as some kind of quirky personality traits that make them special and different from the others and thus somehow more desirable. It is also used a tool to grab attention towards themselves. It has become an accessory among people who self diagnose or have no understanding of what it actually is. It isan uncomfortable truth and it has many aspects to itself.

There are many examples that highlights such romanticising of mental illness.

      

    We often find picturesposted on social media like ‘The blade is an artistic tool like a brush’,         ‘I’m jealous of people with enough self-control to be anorexic’, the dreams in which I’m dying are the best ones I have ever had’etc. which promotes suicide and eating disorders as something cooland desirable and self harm as a way of dealing with things. This is definitely not how one must express their grief or despair to the world as they could inculcate feelings of extreme pessimism, nihilistic views and self-hatred among individuals as well as promote these kind of unwanted and extremely harmful idealization of mental illnesses.

    Some great works of literature often contribute to a desperate shadow falling over the lives of emotionally vulnerable readers. When the whole purpose or goal of literature is forgotten or ignored, the content enters as wrong signals into the mind of these readers. The writings of many prominent writers like Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, and Edgar Allan Poe etc. can have a profound and harmful influence, if not addressed properly by teachers and taken in the right sense.

    It has become a need of the hour to bring awareness about this issue, especially among the youth of the country. They should be taught or made aware thatthey could end up doing permanent damage to themselves by having such a mindset or attitude towards living with mental illness or self-diagnosing themselves with any illness without seeking any professional help. Such posts or images should be taken down from the internet as immediately as possible.

Mental Illness as a ‘fashion accessory’ by US company Bando. 

    Such romanticising have become quite common on social mediaand other platforms, which is alarming and disturbing as one can see young people full of promise and joy being influenced and sucked into this twisted quasi-cult of suicide idealisation. Every individual should realize that depression is NOT pretty. Anxiety is not adorable. Anorexia is not #goals. Throwing up your lunch is not cute. Suicide is not beautiful. Post-partum depression is not pleasant. Drinking until you can’t feel pain anymore is not charming. Panic attacks are not fun. Starving yourself is not alluring. Post-traumatic stress is not gorgeous. Binge eating is not classy. These are all serious problems that need serious help. They are not an aesthetic, something that should be made fun of on the internet. If you or any of your loved ones are suffering, seek immediate help.

Reference:

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/mental-illness-necklaces-bando-jewellery-brand-criticism-anxiety-depression-a8375476.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/feminisminindia.com/2018/06/27/romanticising-mental-illness-social-media/%3famp

https://thetab.com/uk/johnmoores/2016/03/04/romanticising-mental-illness-1491

Anet Babu

I year MSc. Clinical Psychology

Kateel Ashok Pai Memorial Institute, Shivamogga