I’m going into this article timidly, as I don’t know how it is going to turn out or what exactly I’m hoping to say, but I do know that I want to, and feel driven to, talk about this. It’s time we talked about the recent Florida shooting and its relation to mental illness; and no, this isn’t the tired old discussion or argument that you’re probably thinking it will be.
I’m not going to use this article as a way for me to express my opinions when it comes to the politics of gun laws and of other topics relating to the horrendous and sickening amount massacres that occur in the United States; I believe that is meant for a platform other than this one. However, what I will do, is touch on the things I’ve noticed in regards to the relationship that these topics have with stigma surrounding mental health and the dangers of that phenomenon. I’m not going to say that the general view on mental health is the issue, but undeniably, it is an issue. And whether you think guns, people, or our government and its current laws are the underlying issue at hand, isn’t as important as at least recognizing that a serious problem exists.
I’m feeling enraged, abused, ignored, and underrepresented, as a Millennial for one, because we’ve been told time and time again by our representatives that we don’t understand the conversation, but I’m also feeling these emotions, and more, as someone who has experienced mental illnesses first-hand.
There are three main points that I want to make in regards to the poor representation of mental illnesses that inevitably occur after each and every tragedy such as this one, and those points are as follows: mental health is not the problem, mental health is not an excuse, and mental health is not a weakness.
So first and foremost, mental health is not the problem.
To start, just look at the statistics. According to James L. Knoll and George D. Annas with psychologyonline.org, “Mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represent less than 1% of all yearly gun-related homicides”.
Less than 1%.
So why is it that every time a mass shooting occurs, the perpetrator always seems to get some form of mental health attached to them? Because no one in their right mind would commit such a disastrous crime? Because clearly, they must be ill? It would be a miracle if it were that simple, but it would be an even greater miracle to not have people immediately jump to the conclusion that having a mental illness is something that is always negative or always the cause of negative results.
Next, mental health is not an excuse.
Grouping all of the varying symptoms of the extensive list of mental illnesses that exist all into one category is a problem all on its own when it comes to perpetuating the stigma. Depression and anxiety are not the same, just as schizophrenia and bulimia are not the same. So, when someone states that a person who commits a crime is mentally ill, and therefore in some ways excused from their actions, it is just plainly unacceptable. When you say that someone has a mental illness, which of the 200+ types of mental illnesses are you referring to? What are you really saying?
I keep seeing it everywhere, “his mom died, he had depression”. “He’ll probably get away with it because he’s psycho” Even a kid from my own graduating class got thrown in jail this week for threatening a school shooting, and without fail, there were comments about him struggling with mental illness. Depression is classified as a mental illness. I have depression. Does that mean I’m the next person who is going to commit a mass shooting? Does that mean that others are going to view me as someone who is likely to? Are we going to lose our ability to speak out about our experiences out of fear of being labeled as someone who “psychotic” who “would definitely commit a crime because they have a mental illness”? No. I don’t want to live in a world that normalizes such a terrible misrepresentation of what is for so many, the everyday human experience. Mental health is too broad and complex to be used so freely and frequently as an excuse for such a specific crime.
Finally, mental health is not a weakness.
I know a lot of people personally who live with mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, and they are undeniably some of the strongest people that I have ever come into contact with. You won’t see them taking out their problems violently against others because they are busy trying to navigate them themselves, for one, and for two, I’ve found that because of their sensitivity and intuition these people are so much more in tune to emotions and the human condition, that they wouldn’t dream of ever harming someone else. I’ll say too, that having a mental illness has made me a better person. It has made me more aware of what others around me are experiencing, more appreciative of the small joys of life, and much more motivated to better myself and the lives of those around me each day. Depression has not made me weak. It will not make me weak.
Consider as well, any person with a mental illness featured on more popular platforms like Special Books by Special Kids.. Almost no interview goes without someone being asked how they wish to be treated, and every time, without fail, the answer is, “like anyone else”. Most people with mental illnesses don’t view it as a weakness, an excuse, or any sort of a true limitation, so why do those who don’t have mental illnesses seem to view others who do have them, in such a light?
I feel as though this piece hasn’t been much more than a messy and angry collection of rambling thoughts, but its representative of my current emotions towards all of the tragedies that occur in my homeland all too often. I am angry. I’m angry that things like this happen and that innocent lives are taken. I’m angry about the horrible stigma it creates for me and others like me. I’m angry that instead of provoking change, that time and time again these situations only provoke discrepancies and debates. And because I don’t know what to do, the best I can do, is to speak about what I know, and what I know is that when it comes to tragedies like these, if we can’t agree on anything, the least we can do is agree that mental illnesses do not deserve the bad reputation and the drastic misrepresentation that it gets. We need to stop throwing the term around when it comes to what is not truly related to it, because if we are not mindful of our words, we become careless in everything we do. We need to, and can, do better.
By: Katie Ahren, Anxiety In Teens Contributor