Quote:
Originally Posted by peter12
I bet you felt pretty important writing that down. As a social issue, I fail to see how public awareness campaign for "mental health" will have a demonstrable impact on solving a problem. The reason is that I do not think there is as large a problem as the media, and most others make out of it.
I am almost entirely certain that a large portion of mental health issues are along the lines of depression, general anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. All of these are easily treated by exercise, and social activities. In more extreme cases, cognitive behavioural therapy is a proven avenue for successful treatment. Only in the absolute extreme minority of cases should pharmaceutical intervention be necessary.
I think that most people just see their mental health as an outcrop of how unsatisfying their lives are, and instead of seeking adequate treatment, choose instead to label it as a disease. We are pathologizing a whole host of moods as disorders.
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You continue to bury yourself in your ignorance.
It's been mentioned above, but one of the bigger issues with mental illness is the stigma attached. Go back and read JD's post. His comments about his friend who committed suicide show the
damage that ignorant louts like you perpetuate. It's hard enough trying to break free of these issues at the best of times - so much so that friends and family members are often left wondering how they missed the signs. When you are met with people trivializing or seeking to ignore it, it only makes it that much harder for someone suffering from depression and anxiety to start to break free of it.
People like you are why people commit suicide. Because people like you close off positive outlets for someone who is suffering. And anybody stupid enough to listen to you is going to be easy to convince that everyone thinks the way you do. People wont seek treatment because they are afraid to speak up.
And that, is why campaigns like this have value. Of course Bell budgeted for these donations, and of course they will be happy to add any business they get out of it. But the simple act of trying to make it okay to talk about mental illness is a critically important first step.