Mira Kocherhans

Be the Change
Wheres your mom? I would hesitate to answer this. Shes uh...in the hospital. Oh!
What happened? These were uncomfortable situations. They still are sometimes. This wasnt
because I was embarrassed but I didnt want them to feel that way. Do I lie and tell them shes
injured or am I ambiguous and say shes just sick? Or...Am I honest and say that shes in the
psych ward? Do I go in depth and say she has MPD/DID because of 21 years of heinous abuse
or do I leave it at MPD? Why is it this complicated to talk about this information, or even more,
why is there a stigma surrounding mental health telling me I shouldnt?
People with depression are just looking for attention. Hes crazy! How superficial do
you have to be to become anorexic? Schizophrenics are violent criminals. These are stigmas
that are literally fatal. They drive people to not seek help. No one completely understands the
mind, however, there are many who disrespect those who dont have control over their own.
There are troubles involving special needs, eating disorders, mental illness and various other
challenges all around. While people blatantly dont care to understand others who are different,
there are many who wish to understand but dont question in fear of offending someone or
seeing understanding as too difficult. Adam Ant said, Mental health needs a great deal of
attention. Its the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with.
I despise when people call each other retarded when their buddy does something
ignorant or what they may see as stupid. Why is it that when someone is called, say, the Nword is is noticed but when someone is called retarded, no one bats an eye? My sister has
down syndrome. My brother has autism. And I can tell you right now that they make decisions
that are smarter than half of modern societies. Ive watched, my family volunteering at a
retirement home, as my brother with aspergers spot a woman shaking so badly from age that
she could not get a drink, and help her lift the cup to her lips. When our nephews visit, the first
question they ask is, Wheres Aidan? Wendi, with down syndrome, remembers every birthday
of everyone she knows. They both have jobs. While not all with handicaps or special needs are
able to function to this level, it is an across the board truth that they are not empty, cursed
bodies. They have just as much purpose as every other human. With the risk of sounding cliche,
it is simply rude to disrespect a person due to their differences. For example, imitating someone
with a learning disability is just as unacceptable as imitating someone with a speech impairment
which is just as wrong as imitating someone that is suicidal.
To speak on mental illness has been a precarious thing. President Bill Clinton said,
Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all. So many of us
with mental illnesses avoid talking about them because of this. Empathy is the key here. We just
need sympathy and for the cloud of hesitation to talk about something that according to NAMI
(National Alliance on Mental Illness) 1 in 4 people suffer from. And it is so vital to know that just
because someone speaks outwardly about or mentions their mental illness does not mean that
they are attention seekers and this belief is a reason the topic is avoided. Imagine if people
treated cancer, or any physical ailment for that matter, the way that they treated mental illness.
You wouldnt say that someone is overreacting because of their malignant tumour, so you
shouldnt say that someones being dramatic over their struggle to stay happy and normal. It
seems that peoples feelings are being disregarded. Albert Camus said, Nobody realizes that
some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. Dont dare say someone is
making up their depression. Suicide is real and is mainly caused by depression. If people accept
suicide as real, what do they believe is causing it, if not mental illness?
One of the problems is people simplifying and delegitimizing mental illnesses. People
need to quit saying they have OCD because they organize their closet by colour or they had a

Mira Kocherhans
Be the Change
panic attack when they were stressed or they have insomnia because they didnt fall asleep till
midnight. Saying this makes people see these issues as not serious or real even when found in
those who actually suffer from them. Its best to avoid this.
I myself suffer from mental illness. I have severe depression and anxiety and I have
done things to myself that I am not proud of. My mind is a dangerous place. I didnt talk about
any of this for a long time because of the fact that I hate complaining and I didnt want to seem
weak. I didnt want help. But why did I feel that having a difference in my chemistry was a sign
of me being weak? It isnt. I have to keep telling myself that. Through my experience, Ive found
that just like everyone has specific personalities, they also deal with their struggles in different
ways. For me, school is helpful to my state. I do worse when not in school. However, my friend
is his worst mentally when in the stress of school. This is why one cant assume that because
someone is going to school or work and working hard that they arent struggling.
Generalizations lead to inaccurate perceptions. Additionally, joking about mental problems can
be insulting and can damage views of self and others. Joking and humour can be unbelievably
remedial. But this applies when it isnt offensive to anyone. Never joke about suicide. Never joke
about self harm.
Im not an expert, but Im not afraid of these things. Ive gotten to see a fair amount of
what troubles the mind and bodys dysfunctions can bring but Ive also witnessed what beauty
and quality that can come out of a person despite their struggles. If ones individual struggles
with their mental health are spoken of, others will know that they are not the only ones fighting.
Know that those who are struggling have legitimate concerns and that they are worthy of help
and care.Wayne Dyer said, When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at
change. When the pains of mental health are open to discuss and are met with compassion
and kindness, there will be a change in the actual state of those suffering.