Life is full of stigmas. They are everywhere, and most of them are untrue. Short, cute, blonde does not equal cheerleader. Cheerleader does not equal unintelligent. Depression does not equal crazy. A behavioral health center is not an insane asylum. Stigmas are labels of judgment that have no merit.
I have a friend who suffers from depression. It’s not as big of a deal as people make it to be. If you have depression, you get it. For people who aren’t afflicted with the diagnosis, their understanding is limited, despite their best intentions. Numerous resources are available to deal with the condition, one of which is seeking help from a behavioral health center. After asking for help from a variety of professionals and getting nowhere, my friend checked herself into one such facility. For months, she avoided doing so because of the stigma. The shame that gets attached to that decision held her back. Her depression worsened. Finally, she chose herself over what others would think. Thankfully, she received the help and tools she had been looking for all along.
How sad to think that if she had appendicitis, there would’ve been no stigma about going to the hospital. Doctors would have rushed to treat the issue before it became life-threatening. When she was trying to be proactive about her mental health and avoid life-threatening consequences, she was denied. It took a brave kind of self-love to check into a behavioral health facility.
My friend is not nuts, insane, or crazy. She is the exact opposite; she is tremendously brave. The insanity falls on those who judge others for matters they don’t fully understand. Stigmas are labels of judgment that are better off ignored.
