Stigma and mental health

Mental health is something which is often overlooked and misunderstood. Also there are many misconceptions of mental health sufferers according to their particular mental ailment. Famous actresses such as Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jeane) suffered a lot of criticism due to her infamous relationships with influential figure heads such as president John F Kennedy is an example of a woman who endured a lot of criticism in the public eye. Her death was something which was very controversial, due to its nature; barbiturates overdose. Many young women died from Barbituate overdose due to the mental illnesses they encountered during their struggles in life.

Many celebrities such as Winona Ryder(Anxiety and depression), Marilyn Monroe (depression) and Katherine Zeta Jones (Bipolar disorder) suffered in silence for too long until their mental illness was brought to the attention of the public.

Another celebrity who experienced a mental break-down was Edie Sedgwick who was apart of Andy worhols Factory, she was known as a fashion icon and was renouned for her unique, vibrant controversial sense of style. Subsequently due to her career being tarnished when an explicit movie of her was released as well as Andy Worhols rejection of her well-being she experienced a nervous break down and was admitted to hospital.

Years later she died from a barbituates overdose. It is said that the abuse of barbituates, sedatives are a common cause of death among females experiencing mental breakdowns; the death using these benzophine drugs can be accidental or intentional, due to their significant sedating effect.

Nevertheless many modern celebrities have continued to conquer their mental illness and use it as a positive to influence and inspire others experiencing the same thing. Despite mental illness and the pressure from the limelight and their diminished capacity to cope with everyday life, many celebrities suffering from mental illness it has still been overcome.

Individuals with conditions such as manic depression or schizophrenia can lose touch with reality in the time of a break down. There is often a social stigma associated with any type of mental illness. Many sufferers feel the need to hide it, which can lead to long-term suffering.

My experience of mental illness myself made mr realise that after being attacked and sexually assaulted at the age of 19 -- I could not hide the feeling of apathy and depression anymore and so I sought medical help and advice. However years later I find myself improving: my outlook on life is no longer pessimistic. I developed a strong sense of spirituality and realised that life consists of duality.

Sometimes we become in awe of ourselves because we have experienced happiness which has been long awaited; our experiences with disassociation and self-neglet diminish over time. Is mental illness Gods way of showing us that we can cope despite our struggles. Isaiah 48:10 holds that god refined us in the furnace of affliction, "though not as silver". The meaning of this passage is that sometimes we have to go through difficult and challenging times to become refined, to become stronger.

(By Nyisha Hv)