Promoting mental health is not the same as educating about mental illness

With February being Mental Health Awareness month, Hopkins students have recently been bombarded by Facebook statuses, emails, and flyers on the Breezeway promoting the topic. Most of us understand the gist of it: don't stress too much, talk to someone, look for red flags from our friends, etc. We are also aware, to some extent, of the prevalent role that mental health disorders and diseases play in competitive and ambitious environments.

In response to this, however, I find it imperative that mental health be discussed outside of the facade of therapy, pills, and wards. Being "aware" enough of these things is not enough, for as much as we would like to believe that mental health is a priority in today's society, there remains a disheartening negative stigma associated with certain disorders.

Late teens and early twenties are the predominant years in which many disorders become known and are often formally diagnosed. However, this is also a time in a young adults life where they are beginning to understand freedom, personal responsibility, and what it means to be their own person, rather than a mere product of the people that surround them. With this newfound independence there inevitably follows an unknown burden of self-understanding and direction. And to be frank, the future scares the crap out of most people: the unknown can be pretty terrifying. As students, we need a way to distinguish mental health from the regular ups and downs of everyday life.

So, what is mental health? Mentalhealth.gov defines it as the following:

"Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices."

Note how mental health is a positive state, measured on a scale of "well-being," rather than illness. It focuses on the good, instead of the bad. Unfortunately, this is where Mental Health Awareness Month falls short.

Throughout the month, students will be notified of the dangers of mental illnesses like depression, eating disorders, and self-mutilation. Emails will be forwarded expressing the warning signs of these illnesses. But shouldn't this month, based on its title, be more about celebrating the healthy ways of thinking and dealing with life?

Our society too often focuses on the bad while failing to celebrate the good. This is not to say that mental illness is not important, but we should also promote the healthy habits that many people practice for healthy stress relief. This would allow others to strive for these attitudes. Inversely, the constant talk of mental illness creates a fear based understanding of the subject, in which students are worried about what could happen for those who do suffer from clinical mental diseases. This worry isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but publicizing the eminent risks contributes to society’s treatment of mental illness as a social taboo.

At the risk of overgeneralization, there is usually more to a mental disorder than its diagnosis. Mental disease affects all facets of the patient's life, including their studies, their daily routine, their family, and their relationships. While it is critical that those in need of help seek it, it is equally important that as a society, we worry less about the instability that mental illness creates, and focus more on the positive.

Any obstacle can be overcome. Perhaps this is the optimist in me speaking, but I do believe that if there is a will, there is way. The professional therapists, psychiatrists, and pharmacists have provided a way for those who suffer from mental illness to get treatment; it is our responsibility to help them find the will. There are multiple reasons for people to avoid getting the help they need, and unfortunately, a main reason is because of fear. People are afraid of judgement, of change, and of disappointing others. If we change the dialogue of mental health into one that is concentrated around the promotion of sound mental health, instead of the elimination of mental disease, we can find a better solution through open discussion.

This is an oversimplification of a complicated issue, but it is a start. We need to be more conscious of how we perceive mental illness and how we perceive mental health, and the differences between the two.

These two terms are not antonyms as one who suffers from a mental illness, such as depression, can be mentally healthy. It may not be through the same means, but the end is always attainable.

Carissa Zukowski is a freshman from Baltimore, MD. She has not yet declared a major. She is a Staff Writer for the News-Letter.