People should stop normalizing the romanticization of mental disorder

People are now aware of not only physical health but also the mental well-being of oneself. However, there are misconceptions, misunderstood, and misused of the words ‘mental health’. The media created an image that having a mental illness is cool and edgy, while it is completely different. Romanticization, an act that makes something look attractive and appealing where the reality is the exact opposite, should be stopped. Romanticization mental illness will not bring us anywhere. It only brings harm to everyone, whether having a mental disorder or not.

Romaticization can mislead people to take incorrect action. An example of the romanticization of mental illness by media is the Netflix series entitled “Thirteen Reasons Why”. The story is about a character who suffered from depression and decided to commit suicide. The series may give an idea that the only solution and prevent people to seek help from others. Even a study said that suicide rates among teenagers in the US have found a 28.9 percent rise in April 2017, the month after the show was released. Holly Ellis, a psychiatrist and nurse practitioner, said, “Shows like 13 reasons Why showed depression and suicide in an extremely unhealthy and glamorizing way. Because of that, a lot of those individuals repeated what they saw in that specific TV show.”

The misconception of mental illness as something ‘tragically beautiful’ is an irony. The young generation, mostly, thinks that having a mental illness is cool and edgy. The dark and mysterious portrait in the media attracts and makes them interested. This will make them have a desire for having a mental illness. They can even fake it and pretend to have a mental illness for the sake of getting attention. This can cause a serious matter. According to the study in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology Romanticization, people who fake symptoms of mental illness can convince themselves that they genuinely have those symptoms. They will also adopt and justify signs of illness that they never reported themselves when presented with manipulated answers. 

The stigma of mental illness can also change because of romanticization. The awareness society has at the beginning can slowly be replaced by skepticism. People will generalize everyone who claims to have a mental illness. This will lead to those who actually have one not being taken seriously. People can easily downplay their feeling because some irresponsible ones who use mental illness as clout.

Romanticizing mental illness is already wrong, let alone normalizing it. Romanticization only brings harm to society. It can mislead people into some wrong actions, causes serious self-destruction, and worsens the stigma of mental illness within society. People need to stop it before it gets worse. Throwing around the issue carelessly can promote misinterpretation and mislead others. Instead, try to have a better education on the issue from reliable sources. 

Tiaranisa Rahma Dewi - B0318047

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