Mental illness is a serious. Deeply damaging. Causing serious health issues or even death. Hashtags of “#DEPRESSION.” “#OCD.” “#ANOREXIC. #BROKEN, are being over used and normalised on social media.
Disorders are becoming both glamorised and hyperbolised. Mental illness is not beautiful. Someone with a mental illness can be beautiful, but the disease itself is torture.
Poems encouraging depression and self-harm are pasted all over blogs, advocating the idea that life is like John Green novel or an episode of Skins, that if you fall apart someone will come and ‘fix’ you. They promote that having a mental disorder makes you mysterious and more attractive, but its not cute and mental illness is not a desirable or an appealing trait.
Thinspersation blogs are one of the most popular online, with images of protruding bones, thigh gaps, and quotes such as “pretty girls don't eat.. trust me”. Encouraging eating disorders and ‘Ana’s teachings’ these are shown to be catalysing diagnosis of Anorexia and Bulimia.
The idealisation of “the perfect body” being one that is close to death, is a completely toxic idea to commend upon somebody. The absorbing and ever scrolling nature of the pages, showing images from popular celebrities to an average unweight girls crippling frames, allows you to believe this images is achievable or that “everyone does it” and that you’re left out.
Histrionic and naïve attitudes are arousing around mental illness due to the glamorisation. Ignorant labelling : Sadness for Depression, Moodiness into Bipolar disorder, nervous behaviours as Anxiety, and restless nights into Insomnia. These terms weaken the seriousness of a life destroying disease. Companies have even gone as far to use mental illnesses as a selling point to drive the latest fashion and novelty trends. T-shirts printed with “Depression” or “Eat Less” were sold in Urban Outfitters in 2014.
This generation needs to realise being “damaged” is not a fashion “trend”. Mental illnesses is not an accessories to self-identity.
Possibly those that do not understand the illnesses are envious of others, and want something that accompanies treatment or attention. But never the less Mental illness isn't a quirky trait. It is not for anyone to beautify. Nor is it unsaturated images with a cursive font and Lana Del Rey lyrics on it.
Stop romanticising it! There is absolutely nothing desirable about having a disease, to be anorexic and have minus energy levels and constantly hiding, to be depressed and never wanting to ever leave your bed and loosing all your friends. ITS NOT COOL
Anyone who is solicitous about their mental well-being should disaffect from their keyboard and instead turn towards someone who can help.