2024 Mental Health Essay Contest Awardee: Bronze
Normalize the Care to Destigmatize the Conditions
Dresden, Maryland
“I probably should go to a therapist. But I’m scared to. For me, therapy has come to mean that something is wrong with you that needs to be fixed. Therapists just encapsulate everything bad in the surrounding bits of my world.”
I wrote that in my journal when I was thirteen. I had spent my whole life navigating the reality of having a family member who suffered from a mental health disorder and my own burgeoning mental health issues. I felt isolated but believed that I could overcome my struggles with enough strength and determination.
This mindset is harmful, but the phenomenon of not seeking treatment is widespread. The 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Annual Report found that 18.3% of children aged 12-17 received mental health services in a specialty setting, despite nearly half of adolescents having a mental health disorder at some time, according to the National Institute of Health.
From the Presidential administration to online celebrities, many have worked to increase the acceptance and accessibility of treatments. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government has increasingly allocated funds towards youth mental health issues—over $200 million in 2023 alone—and individuals, like Selena Gomez, have launched campaigns advocating for mental health awareness.
However, this has resulted in misguided normalization. While dialogue—especially on social media—has increased about certain mental health struggles, it often inadvertently revolves around aspects that can be glamorized: the perfectionism from OCD, the shyness from social anxiety, the weight loss from anorexia, and more. There are aspects of mental illness that can’t be sugar coated, which is why discourse on social media and in real life often glosses over these. For those suffering from severe mental illnesses, it can be disheartening to see that society primarily views the palatable side effects as worth discussing.
In contrast, pop culture portrayals of mental illness frequently highlight the extremes. In the horror film genre, these issues are exaggerated and portrayed in a dramatized manner. Split (2016) portrays people with Dissociative Identity Disorder as untrustworthy potential murderers. The Visit (2015) and Midsommar (2019) do the same with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder respectively. These attempts at normalization result in outdated and dangerous portrayals of mental health issues. People are taught to fear certain disorders in these caricatures instead of gaining a more nuanced understanding of what it is like to live with one of these conditions.
Neither approach to destigmatization—whether it be romanticizing or exaggerating—is desirable. Distorted societal perception of mental health issues can diminish the lived reality of people. When disorders are portrayed as manageable, seeking support within social circles can seem extreme. However, when disorders are shown as dangerous, treatment can feel premature or unnecessary. These narratives reinforce the notion that therapy is for those in immediate crisis, not also for those seeking support in managing their ongoing mental wellbeing. In this sense, therapy has become stigmatized. Acknowledging that you go to therapy risks implying an acute event, a point teenagers seeking help may not feel they have reached.
That is not to say that mental health treatment has not made progress in the public eye. Following the development of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in the 1960s, therapy became a taboo topic, a form of treatment reserved for the worst cases. Today, CBT and mental illnesses are more accepted, but people and teenagers still hesitate to seek that external support for a variety of reasons. These can range from a lack of accessible therapists to limited insurance coverage, both prevalent and preventable barriers towards receiving mental health treatment. Unfortunately, stigma surrounds every aspect of mental health treatment, from choosing to attend therapy and seeking medication to even admitting that there is a problem.
Even in privileged communities, mental health and therapy stigma impact care accessibility. In 2022, my county school system was allocated $8 million to create, update, and expand high school Wellness Centers. My high school created the Bridge to Wellness Center (BTWC) where students can receive mental health and general support from specialists. However, in practice, the BTWC is rarely used. Since so few teenagers use the space, going to the BTWC is viewed as socially unacceptable, thus making it harder for those looking for free, readily-available help to reach out.
While this would seem to demonstrate that therapy is not in demand, I have found the opposite is true. Among my friends, many want to go to therapy—they just haven’t started yet because they are too afraid to ask their parents or to be judged by their peers or don’t want to admit that they have a mental health issue. Even teens I know who are in therapy feel as if they can’t freely admit they are in therapy—they would rather just say they have a doctor's appointment.
Theoretically, the BTWC solves these issues; it provides free, confidential, accessible therapy for teenagers. However, it lacks a critical element: privacy. Going to therapy in school can be quite daunting simply because of its location. You are surrounded by peers that could judge you, creating an environment that disincentives seeking help.
I try to work against this trend whenever possible. I freely tell my friends that I can’t go out because I have therapy that evening, or that I’m struggling during school because I had a rough therapy session the day prior. I believe that any messaging that it is okay to reach out for help before things take a turn is a step in the right direction.
The conversation about mental health issues needs to shift. Normalizing is not the same as destigmatizing. Mental health issues should be accepted, but their impact should not be diminished. Four years ago, I should not have feared going to therapy for my mental health issues. I needed someone to sit me down and tell me that, although it seemed scary, it was okay, and there were people ready to support me. We can change the dialogue around mental health stigma, normalizing getting help, not normalizing silent struggling.
NIH recognizes these talented essay winners for their thoughtfulness and creativity in addressing youth mental health. These essays are written in the students' own words, are unedited, and do not necessarily represent the views of NIH, HHS, or the federal government.
Page published May 31, 2024
