Londyn Miller: Why Mental Health Awareness Matters
May is the month of mental health awareness, and looking back at my roster of episodes, I’ve talked to quite a few people on the matter. One such example is episode 20 guest, Londyn Miller. Londyn reached out to me to be a guest on the UPcoming. After looking into her, I quickly obliged. Londyn had a lot of promise, and devotion to her craft, making her a great addition to the podcast. When we got to talking, I learned about her experience with mental illness, and how it’s brought her where she is.
Before Londyn got diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, she didn’t see the signs early, because she was never taught about it. “I think when you’re younger, no one really talks to you about that stuff.” The lack of conversation about mental illness made her suffer from it for longer than she should have before getting help. There are multiple reasons why mental illness is not talked about as much:
The lack of attention. Lauren Jett of Harvard Medical School Journal wrote “mental disorders are treated as acute, episodic ailments instead of chronic illnesses.” There’s not enough urgency to bring mental illness symptoms to light in patients until something crazy happens. Because Londyn had anxiety, it was easy for people to write it off as just a phase.
Some victims are afraid to come out. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute reveals “The prevalence of stigma and discrimination toward people with mental illness makes it difficult to have a transparent conversation about how we feel.” For reasons like the one above, many people who have mental illness do not talk about it at all, in fear of being ignored or chastised. So, victims simply try to swallow it in and continue on with life, which is as unhealthy for others as it is for them.
Some attention brings more harm than good. Many mentally ill people have taken in for crimes like assault or harassment. This is brought to the media’s attention who might cause unwelcome stereotypes or misconceptions. Movies like Joker or Split don’t help either. In reality, many mentally ill have varying disorders, and the ones considered dangerous do not represent everyone. In fact, someone you know is probably unwell (i.e. depression or anxiety) but they never talked about it. You’re much more likely to listen to them than someone on the street, so it’s ok to let them know that they can talk about it.
If we’re going to decrease the severity of mental illness, we have to first act with empathy and urgency. This is a serious matter and must be treated as such, so youth like Londyn don’t have to find out about their problems so late down the line. Moreover, when they do find out, they should feel free to talk about it. We’re at the day and age where mental health is encouraged and advocated for. Less depression means less suicides, mood swings, damaged relationships, and so much more.