For my final assignment, I created a video on the stigma around mental health. I hope to tackle the craziness of the phrases people say to those that are mentally ill. For my stigma project, I created a short video demonstrating some of the appalling things people think are okay to say to someone with mental health issues. Mental health can be viewed as insignificant due to the stigma surrounding it which makes it harder for patients to come to terms with the fact that they aren't okay and need to be treated accordingly.
The video I created displays just how ridiculous it is to say these commonly used phrases to someone who is physically unwell rather than mentally unwell. These sorts of remarks make mental health seem like something you can choose. Saying things like "you're so selfish" or "why can't you be normal" dehumanizes people that are suffering and brushes off their issues without a care. You would never tell someone with a broken arm, or a concussion that they should "stop being so dramatic", but people will very easily say that to someone who is injured internally. The stigma around mental health leads to a lot of the presented negative remarks, and can feel discriminating to the person subjected to it. As the years go on, this stigma is slowly decreasing and fading away, but it's still there. Depressed, ocd, anxiety, and crazy are still to this day tossed around in conversation as if it means nothing. This can be dividing and make it hard for someone that needs help to realize they need treatment. By viewing this short video, I hope people will be able to see the outright inappropriateness of their words and the backlash it has on people who are mentally ill. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I enjoyed creating it :)
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For this project, I kept a diary on my stress and coping methods. This diary helped me realize what better ways I could cope with my stress.
I feel stressed in many situations, but usually my emotions are the main cause. I can never think level headedly in the moment, and let my feelings control how I react. A few days later I`ll realize how I may have reacted to a stressful situation is what made it stressful in the first place. I tend to overreact to the smallest things. It could just be a backhanded comment, a missing assignment, or someone not being inclusive enough that sets me off. My worst symptoms would have to be emotional. Since I overreact and overthink, my emotions can amplify any situation and make something not at all stressful able to put me in a spiral. I don't see a particular pattern in my coping methods. Some days I`ll have terrible coping methods like keeping everything to myself, and some days I`ll use problem solving to work through the situation. My coping methods mostly fall under fight or flight. I may leave my problems for another day, or I may deal with them face-to-face. I find that it is irregular for me to be experiencing as much stress as I do, but I know that I`ll grow out of it. I find that tracking my larger stress issues in a diary has been helpful. While I usually have to deal with these on my own, now it's like I have someone to take the load off my shoulders. The smaller problems like drama or work I feel would be best left undocumented because I know my view on them will change the next day. I do have every day stresses, but since they aren't that bad, they would be best used as rant material to a friend rather than something I`d be able to look back on forever. |
Questions for further investigation:1. Does stress influence the beginning of mental health issues? |