Mental Health Awareness

And why it’s not a joke

Screenshot from The Time For Jokes, Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/193421120708851/posts/im-in-a-mental-hospital-my-roommate-licks-the-glass-helps-escape-psychiatris-asl/2569183123132627/

There’s a viral thread that’s been doing the rounds on Facebook, and several other social medias of late. It consists of people saying that they are in a mental hospital, and they are then required to tag friends most likely to… These options range from licking a window, to banging their head on the wall, muttering in a corner, and even being locked in a padded cell.

I find it incredibly distressing to see these scenarios made out to be funny. This sort of thing is not funny. It is making light out of people with serious mental health problems.

Having to deal with several psychological conditions myself, along with being a carer for 12+ years, for someone with serious mental health issues, I can honestly say that I find these posts not just unfunny, or in poor taste, but, really, utterly despicable.

All too often lately, I have noticed that people tend to not see mental health issues as illnesses, and that’s part of the problem. People see them as odd, or weird personality traits to be laughed at and ridiculed, all in the name of a bit of harmless fun.

It is NOT harmless fun.

In 2017, a study estimated that 792 million people were living with psychological issues. This figure is probably grossly underestimated. These are…