Sensitive content warning: reference to mental illness
The discussion around mental illness belongs to the special category of discussions we are reluctant to have. We are afraid to talk about it because we might say something wrong. We are afraid to think about it because we may not know enough. We are afraid to express it because the sound of such a revelation may be deafening. And yet, now more than ever, in tense and inhuman conditions, we are forced to overcome our fears and speak openly, even if our point of view is lacking and drowning in a sea of other perspectives.
There exist – unfortunately- a multitude of mental illnesses and disorders that range from narcissism and schizophrenia to the most “familiar” depression, of every possible degree and in any potential form. They are scientifically explained in various ways and are related to both brain functions and the social environment of each individual. Depression, in particular, is more frequently seen in the female sex (according to a study by Salk, R. H., Hyde, J. S., & Abramson, L. Y. (2017), and also Rai D., Zitko P., Jones K. (2013). Few people abstain from the possibility of experiencing some mild form of depression in their lifetime. However, apart from the rigid academic approach, what happens with the traumas of the soul, what happens with depression? The truth is that if we compare our knowledge of mental illnesses with the discovery of America by Columbus, America has not even been discovered: “We’re still on that small island in the Bahamas,” but it’s worth a chance.
First and foremost, we must accept almost as a dogma that this is a difficult, serious situation, and certainly worthy of the utmost attention. Enough with the evasions, enough with the indifference, enough with downgrading its criticality and the superficial consolation: Depression is not a joke, it is not a phase, it is a reality.
Secondly, shirkers in their nature and enthusiasts of security and comfort, people have classified the issue of depression and mental illness in general, with the so-called “taboos,” the ones that we desperately try to avoid, the ones that, when they happen to be discussed at the same table with us, we feel uncomfortable and look abstracted, left and right, whistling and then we knock on wood. Not anymore. The rapid development and the dizzying rhythms of life invade like a torrent the minds and souls of people, they affect us, make us sick. The system that hides the problems under the mat no longer works. We are here, and since we are here, we must discuss openly.
Thirdly, mental illness is no less important than physical illness. “I was feeling in my mind a sensation close to, but indescribably different from, actual pain.” The human condition is made up of soul and body, concepts that are, to a large extent, interconnected. When one is sick, the other wears out. Therefore, poor remarks, such as “cheer up a little bit,” “stop being sullen all the time” and “you’ll get over it,” are probably not what we need to say, considering not only, that it does not help the recipient, but also that it generally degrades the difficulties they face.
In addition, let’s remind ourselves that communication is all we have. As intrinsically social beings, we are founded and developed by supporting and being supported. Our eyes, and much more our minds, must be wide open and fully alerted. See, don’t just look. Listen, don’t just hear. Speak, don’t just talk. Let us insist, let us toil, let us gain the trust of those around us, because we can never be sure of what is going on inside their minds and souls, what personal hell they might be going through and how much help they need. “Silence does not always mean peace.”
Yet, the time has come and to realize that some situations are too difficult for us to exceed on our own, they are insurmountable when our only tools are our very own strengths. And it’s okay to accept that. It is normal to seek help from people close to us. It is just as normal to find that their help is not enough and to turn to people who specialize in the field of mental health. The first step, when drowning, is not to be saved – as this may follow later – but to accept that you are drowning. Or, when we have reasonable suspicions that someone else is drowning, let us stop conniving at it and let’s spread our hand. It can be lifesaving.
The issue, apart from being interpersonal, is moral, political, social. It is an issue that must be addressed by the rule of law itself, by providing schools, centers, services, organizations with people specializing in mental illness and willing to aid their healing. It is an issue that must be taken care of by educated people and figures of current affairs, giving it the appropriate dimensions. It is an issue of education, which should be established in the school curriculum and promoted through seminars in the workplace, contributing not only to awareness, but also to adequately informing the average person. Everyone needs to know the basics of managing mental illness and offering the right support. It is an issue that concerns us all. We owe it to those who suffer and to those who we lost, thinking that they were alone in it. We ought to listen, to talk, to help and to always remind people of the simplest and most important thing: that they matter. “Even when there is no hope, we have to fight for our survival – and that is what we do, from head to toe.”
- The phrases in quotation marks, as well as the scientific data, were taken from the autobiographical book of William Styron, “Depression,” Vintage Publishing, 2017*
If, as you read this text, you feel the need to contact, for yourself or for a third person, the following websites and phone numbers may be helpful:
https://www.animacare.gr/mental-health-services/help-lines
https://www.therapia.gr/1034-dimosia-dorean-psyxologiki-ypostirixi/
Photography by Ioakeim Masmanidis, Simeon Maniatis