2022 Mental Health Essay Contest Awardee: Gold
Our Stereotypes. Our Stigmas. My Strength.
Morgan, NJ
Mental health is a topic that people tend to avoid because of its negative connotations. However, this damaging barrier must be broken. Adolescents, in particular, should be able to talk about mental health challenges in their lives without being judged or ridiculed. Most teens associate mental health challenges with weakness or craziness because of how they are depicted in movies, TV shows, and social media. Our society has created stereotypes of how people with mental health challenges act and feel. Not only are these stereotypes frequently inaccurate, but everyone deals with and expresses their challenges in different ways. At the beginning of high school, I was not aware that a person could be depressed and be perceived as being happy, or have anxiety and still be social and optimistic. I had so thoroughly internalized common stereotypes about how a person should act --for example scowling or violent-- when they were suffering through a mental health challenge that I missed the signs that I was going through a mental health crisis myself.
It was only halfway through my freshman year when I was swimming my 15th lap in the 500, a 20-lap race. Suddenly, I felt as if I was dying, convinced that I was having a heart attack and going to be sick in the pool all at once. Scared that people would judge me if I got out, I finished the race and stepped onto the deck sobbing because I couldn’t breathe. At the time, I didn’t know whether I’d had a panic attack, asthma attack, or something else entirely. Ideally, I would have talked to someone about this experience, figured out exactly what had happened, and discovered ways to prevent it from happening in the future. However, instead, not knowing any better, I continued with school and my other extracurriculars as if nothing had happened. Concurrently, I was also having issues with my friendships at school and an increased level of stress when it came time for tests, projects, and other assessments. I assumed that this was just a part of the culture that new high schoolers face. While there was definitely truth to this, the feeling of isolation, lack of appetite, and absolute hatred of school were not normal. However, I was still performing at a high level, so I ignored these signs. Even though I knew something was off, I didn’t want to be seen walking into the guidance counselor's office at school because I was scared that my peers would judge me, and I would be humiliated. No one wants to have their problems gossiped about, especially when they are already feeling isolated.
I think that a possible solution for reducing feelings of embarrassment would be for schools to create a mandatory requirement for every student to check in with the guidance counselors once each semester. This could help normalize checking in on one’s mental health and reduce the gossip around people going to the guidance counselor because everyone would be required to do it. This strategy could have been beneficial for me in freshman year, because my problem wasn’t that I was opposed to receiving help, but that I couldn’t recognize that there was a real problem, it wasn’t in my head. Additionally, I never asked for help when I wasn't feeling like myself because it was just not something people did. In fact, the solution didn’t come until a year later when I went to a neuropsychologist to seek treatment for my reading difficulties and was diagnosed with dyslexia. At the appointment, I was talking about school and how I was feeling when the neuropsychologist recommended that I consider talking to a therapist. Since then, through therapy, I’ve learned amazing techniques to reduce my anxiety. I also now know that there is not just one type of anxiety, and it can often be coupled with other mental health challenges, such as depression.
Learning about mental health challenges in high school, and getting the opportunity to talk to the administration about barriers at school to accommodate those with mental health challenges would also help decrease the stigma. Education can reduce stereotypes by replacing them with accurate data and information. It is important to emphasize the fact that there isn’t just one way a person with mental health challenges acts, and stereotypes are often inaccurate. We will never know what another person is going through, which is why it is so important to be open, kind, and understanding. When I am feeling overwhelmed, I must be a good self-advocate typically by talking to my teachers about a more manageable workload. Unfortunately, the responses to my requests for a short extension have been, “If I do this for you, it won’t be fair to the other students” or “I don’t see a sufficient reason for this request.” Teachers have even asked “Were you sick?” and sometimes I’m tempted to say “Yes!” Although I am not physically sick, I most definitely am not feeling myself. I am aware that I need a break or a lighter workload to feel some relief and function well. I should not have to undergo weeks of depression and anxiety because I am unable to receive the help I need from teachers. I believe that schools should host mandatory mental health seminars to help educate students and teachers about mental health issues, give them advice if they are dealing with mental health challenges themselves, and direct them on how to help a peer that might be struggling with their mental health. Having more information about mental health challenges and learning strategies to cope with mental health could be beneficial and open up entry points to the topic.
No one should ever have to feel alone when struggling with mental health because there are so many people fighting the same fight. With patience, knowledge, and understanding, I believe that we can eliminate the mental health stigma that many adolescents face.
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 updated September 28, 2022
