Online Tantrum
Threw a bit of an online tantrum on *a particular forum* at someone who implied that those who suffer from depression are merely lazy:
Well, I wouldn't have minded being left out of that. Depression is a legitimate illness, just like physical illnesses such as diabetes or asthma. Without anti-depressants some of us probably wouldn't even be here. It's the stigmatisation of mental illness that prevents some people from seeking help. (Often with disastrous results.)
Did I go too far?
Perhaps.
Well, I wouldn't have minded being left out of that. Depression is a legitimate illness, just like physical illnesses such as diabetes or asthma. Without anti-depressants some of us probably wouldn't even be here. It's the stigmatisation of mental illness that prevents some people from seeking help. (Often with disastrous results.)
Did I go too far?
Perhaps.
posted by Louise at 7:43 am
3 Comments:
It sounds perfectly reasonable to me. But I would expect its difficult to be convincing to people without understanding of mental illnesses if you admit you have depression. They've already dumped you in the 'mad' bucket before you open your mouth.
Ironically, a recent survey established that over a quarter of the population in the UK will suffer from a mental illness at some time in their life.
One wonders how many more there are.
'rie
...and one wonders how many fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children and close friends will experience that illness in this quarter of the population. Counting up those people as well for me would be the more interesting statistic, and telling of general attitudes towards various mental illnesses: I would guess that for many people with unhelpful and insightless attitudes, they cannot use the excuse that they have never experienced it close to.
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