Mental illnesses have become adjectives; fragile words with the sole purpose of description. But, there are not enough adjectives in the world to describe why 1 in 5 teenagers suffer from a mental illness, according to Teen Mental Health.
By this standard, roughly 200 of the peers we pass in the hallway, sit next to in the cafeteria, and play with on the court struggle with one (if not more) mental illnesses. Regardless of the fact that 20% of our classmates are enduring their own battles every day, there are plenty of people that ignorantly say phrases like:
“That math test made me depressed lol.”
“I can’t even, her outfit gives me anxiety.”
“I’m so OCD about that.”
To constantly throw around mental illnesses in sentences as adjectives can be harmful to the individuals actually diagnosed and battling them every day.
“Mental health is actually way more complex and painful than what it’s stereotyped to be,” junior Elizabeth Nichols said.
After being diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 8th grade, Nichols understands the misconceptions surrounding with her illness, and knows she is not alone.
“It’s not just a little nervousness,” sophomore Delaney Bouwens said, “it’s constantly there. Never leaving me.”
The perseverance learned through rigorous early morning swim practices and daily battles spent pacifying anxious waves of panic has shaped her into a determined individual with hopes to end stereotypes on her illness.
Sophomore Landen Roggenbaum may not suffer from a diagnosed mental illness, but he isn’t oblivious to the ways in which certain individuals have and continue to persevere through their own each day.
As a student, he understands the impact that insensitive comments jokingly made about depression, anxiety, or other illnesses have on his peers.
“[People who aren’t diagnosed] normally get over stress and friend issues the week after and they’re totally fine. This is completely different from actual depression,” Roggenbaum said.
Because individuals commonly stereotype one another, people with mental illnesses feel like they have to put up an image. Everyone has an image, a mirror they use to reflect themselves so that people will only see them a certain way. It’s time to break the mirror and shatter the glass thwarting ourselves from one another.
At school, I do everything possible to disguise my OCD and anxiety. But as soon as I head to class my compulsions take over my brain and I quickly break out into a series of shakes.
An organ the size of my fist has the ability to weaken my knees, nauseate my stomach, and shake my every limb.
The disorder that requires me to order, engulfs my anxiety and sets my brain aflame. Leaving me hollow, wound up so tight that my “glass” shatters unexpectedly.
Everyone is struggling with their own issues, but be courteous to those persevering each day with their own mind. Our brains are the smartest and strongest organs, but they can easily manipulate our thoughts into actions we know aren’t healthy.
These mental illnesses are not adjectives used to describe ourselves. They are powerful nouns used to identify a group of perfectly strong, capable, and beautiful people.
