Many who have depression and other mental illnesses continue to suffer in silence. This is due to stigma and discrimination.
Social media has been trying to deal with the stigma that prevents people from seeking help for their mental health battles.
The latest hashtag to trend on issues of mental illness is #ItsOkayNotToBeOkay. Under this hashtag, many shared what they have been going through and the medication they use, with the hope that someone will be encouraged to seek help.
One Twitter user shared what people know her for and what she has been experiencing: “People know me as strong and happy. And I am. I am also on psychiatric medication to help deal with the fear and darkness that comes with being a mum of young children with a scary, deadly disease. I am who I am and that’s okay.”
Thank you for sharing. I am Sithembile Mbete and I take medication for anxiety and depression. I have ADHD which compounds my anxiety. Through a combination of medication and talk therapy I manage my condition. Let’s destigmatise! ❤️ https://t.co/8QoiWtI4y2
— Dr. Sithembile Mbete (@sthembete) April 12, 2021
Another one shared what she has been diagnosed with and how she has been treating it. “Thank you for sharing. I am Sithembile Mbete and I take medication for anxiety and depression. I have ADHD which compounds my anxiety. Through a combination of medication and talk therapy, I manage my condition. Let’s destigmatise!”
hi, i’m meesh. in 2011 i was forced into therapy for anorexia. i was also diagnosed w/generalised anxiety disorder & depression (present & retroactive diagnosis, which made growing up make sense). i started taking zoloft. all of this changed & saved my life☁️ #itsokaynottobeokay https://t.co/3toOHeY53r
— ᵐᵉᵉˢʰ ☾ (@micherable_) April 13, 2021
While another one, who chose to be anonymous, says: “I'm not gonna say my name on here, but I also take medication for depression, as well as severe chronic headaches. For anyone with depression, hang in there. The bad days are terrible, but we go through them to enjoy the great days. Speak to someone, it seems trivial but it helps.”
Thank you for sharing. I'm Chanelle Kritzinger. I have severe bipolar disorder, psychosis and PTSD. Due to my current situation I am unmedicated. Through continuous ups and downs and determining what's real and what isn't, always know that someone does care#itsokaynottobeokay https://t.co/zJ6Jhs2ngu
Speaking on a Harvard Business Review on the topic “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”, Dr Jaime Zuckerman says: “The inherent problem with this concept is that we assume that if a person is not in a positive mood (or whatever we think a positive person should look or act like), then they are somehow wrong, bad, or inadequate. The problem is that, when we invalidate someone else’s emotional state – or in this case, when we tell someone that feeling sad, angry, or any emotion that we consider ‘negative’ is bad – we end up eliciting secondary emotions inside of them, like shame, guilt, and embarrassment.”
“In so many words, we are saying to them that they should feel ashamed of being sad or that they should feel embarrassed for being afraid. Efforts to avoid, ignore or suppress emotions that are appropriate to context can isolate someone in their time of need, thereby perpetuating the stigma that mental health issues equate to weak-mindedness,” Zuckerman explained.
Globally, mental health professionals predict that the pandemic is going to impact significantly on the mental health of the population, with an increase in cases of depression, suicide, and self-harm due to Covid-19, and other related symptoms reported internationally.
Although statistics from South Africa have not been released as yet, a study conducted by the Indian Psychiatric Society showed a 20% increase in mental illnesses since the coronavirus outbreak in India. A meta-analysis on mental health and Covid-19, among the general population in China, estimates the prevalence of anxiety to be around 31.9% and depression around 33.7%.
Psychiatrist and public sector national convenor of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) Dr Kagisho Maaroganye encourages persons who experience the early signs of psychological distress like insomnia, irritability and lack of interest in pleasurable activities or even self-care, to seek help from professionals.
“While psychiatrists and psychologists are on the ready to help those who seek help, SASOP also recognises that the general public may have misconceptions about psychiatry.
“These may include having negative attitudes towards mental illness or those with mental illness, missing early signs of distress because of perceived ideas about what constitutes mental illness, and believing that recovery from mental illness is impossible .
“The general public should not fear seeking help from professionals who will be aware of all misconceptions, and will be able to address them to give you comfort in receiving treatment, should you need it,” said Maaroganye.