My mental health condition does not make me a werewolf

Personal Perspective: How One Statement Took Our Country Back a CenturyPersonal Perspective: How One Statement Took Our Country Back a Century In a single breath, a former president shattered the progress made in understanding and addressing mental illness. By equating people with mental illnesses to terrorists, he perpetuated an age-old fear-based stigma that has plagued our society for centuries. A Dark History Throughout history, mental illness has been met with misunderstanding and abuse. From exorcisms to chains and insulin comas, countless individuals have endured inhumane treatment. The deinstitutionalization movement in the mid-20th century marked a significant step forward, recognizing mental illnesses as health problems and advocating for the rights of those affected. Modern Misconceptions Today, the stigma surrounding mental illness persists, fueled by sensationalized media portrayals and unfounded fears. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many still believe that mental health problems are inherently violent or dangerous. This misconception has dire consequences. People with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. Moreover, a diagnosis of mental illness significantly increases the risk of being shot by police. Breaking the Cycle of Fear We must reject the fear-mongering narratives that perpetuate this harmful stigma. Instead, we need to promote understanding, compassion, and support for those who struggle with mental health conditions. Let us leave the images of “mental institutions” and “asylums” in the past where they belong. Hospitalization, when necessary, is simply part of the treatment process for mental health problems, just like it is for physical illnesses. By breaking the cycle of fear and misinformation, we can create a more inclusive and compassionate society where every individual is valued and treated with dignity, regardless of their mental health status.

Personal perspective: how one statement took our country back a century.

“He opened our borders to people from prisons, people from mental institutions, insane asylums, terrorists.” In the same breath, a former president placed a class to which I belong (people with mental illnesses) in the same fear-based category as terrorists. He used a health condition that I and 57.8 million other Americans live with (National Institutes of Health, 2024) as a political pawn.

article continues after advertisement

A dark history

As with many phenomena that are difficult to understand, mental illness has historically been met with fear and fear-based abuse. Exorcism may have been the first available treatment for what we now know as mental illness (Scull, 2015). Over time, exorcism evolved to include other means of control: chains, insulin comas, and mass institutionalization. These practices are a horrific aspect of our nation’s past that is not typically taught in history classes.

In 1908 a man named Clifford Beers wrote a book entitled A spirit that has found itselfin which he shared his harrowing experiences with mental illness and the inhumane treatment he received in the asylums at the time. He founded Mental Health America, an organization that has fought for the welfare of people affected by mental illness. In 1953, the organization called out hospitals for the iron chains that once confined people with mental illness. These were cast into a bell as a symbol of recovery from mental illness.

Shortly thereafter, when mental illnesses were seen as health problems and people with mental illnesses were seen as equal human beings, the deinstitutionalization movement began.

My mental health condition does not make me a werewolf

The truth is that mental health problems are not universally associated with violence. Most violent crimes are committed by individuals without mental illness (Varshney et al., 2016).

article continues after ad

Yet, as shown above, misunderstandings and fear can be quite dangerous. In addition to America’s shameful history of oppression of people with mental illness, even today, a diagnosis of mental illness is the single factor most associated with the risk of being shot by a police officer (Saleh et al., 2018). . A person with a mental illness is more likely to be a victim of violence than a perpetrator.

My mental health condition doesn’t make me a wild-eyed werewolf looking for her next bite. This also applies to others. Yet these stories of fear perpetuate a culture that does not welcome us. These stories discourage people from seeking support for often treatable health problems.

As with most other health problems, hospitalization is sometimes part of mental health treatment, but let’s leave those shameful images of fear and words like “mental institutions and asylums” in the past where they belong.

References

Beers, C (1908). A spirit that found itself.

National Institutes of Health (2024). Mental Health Statistics: 2024. Retrieved from Mental Health Statistics (2024) | USAHS

Saleh, A.Z., Appelbaum, P.S., Liu, X., Stroup, T.S., & Wall, M. (2018). Deaths of people with mental illness during interactions with law enforcement. International journal of law and psychiatry, 58110-116.

Scull, A. (2015). Madness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity. Princeton

Varshney, M., Mahapatra, A., Krishnan, V., Gupta, R., & Deb, K. S. (2016). Violence and Mental Illness: What’s the True Story? J Epidemiol Community Health, 70(3), 223-225.