Mental Illness: The Last Taboo

Mentally Ill Face Misunderstanding, Ignorance

There is only one taboo left: mental illness.

Humans are so adept at self-doubt, worry and desperation that, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 20% of Canadians suffer from some form of mental illness during their lifetime. Why is something so common in communities, in families and in schools, still so misunderstood, unaccepted and feared?

Why is Mental Illness Feared?

Is it fear of the unknown? Anyone can see the wheelchair, the crutch, the prosthetic, but no one can see the pain of mental illness. No one can see the confusion, the fear, the loneliness. It could be anywhere.

If people can't see your pain, it must not be real. You're making it up. You're a loser. You need to try harder. You need to fix your problems. Then you'll be better.

Mental illness triggers our deepest fears, fear of losing control, fear of our emotions, fear of the unknown. The unknown is scary. The bag lady on the corner muttering under her breath is scary. But she is only scary because we don't understand, and we don't understand because we don't want to. Our ignorance is self-imposed.

The problem with ignorance is that it generates fear and perpetuates misunderstanding, misinformation and intolerance. But if we make the effort to dispel our ignorance, we can change our lives and the lives of others.

Understanding Mental Illness

In the eighteenth century, Captain James Cook brought the word taboo back from the Polynesian Islands where it referred to the ritual prohibition of a person. The term taboo lives on in that which is dangerous or forbidden, unspeakable or prohibited.

Imagine: what if your community, even your friends and family, saw you as dangerous, forbidden, unspeakable and prohibited? This is what individuals with mental illness face every day. This is the plight of the mentally ill.

Mental illness no longer needs to be taboo. It is an illness that requires strength and understanding, yes. But a little knowledge, a little compassion and a little courage on our part can make a big difference in the lives of people suffering from this disease.

This is a taboo that is destructive to our communities and our families. This is a taboo that hurts and cuts and burns. It's time to dispel our ignorance, right the wrongs of our past and leave this taboo in the 20 century.