By Chloe Dimerman
Each one of us is the strand of an elaborate web. Every silken thread is connected to the next and a gust of wind could easily destroy the intricate structure that is so vital to living and supporting the next.
And like the gust, when a serious mental illness blows into the lives of a family, each member is affected.
HOW DOES MENTAL ILLNESS AFFECT US ALL?
The family up the street seemed pretty average to me. I babysat their young daughters, and didn’t have much of a relationship with the father other than when he handed me a twenty dollar bill at the end of the night.
Over a period of time, I noticed that his red car stayed in their driveway day and night, when previously it was gone most of daylight hours.
When I heard that he was suffering from severe clinical depression so that he couldn’t get out of bed, I wondered how his family would cope. One strand disconnected in the web could disrupt so much.
His daughters were disappointed when their dad couldn’t attend their dance recitals, and didn’t even make it downstairs for his birthday cake or for Father’s Day, and their mother was feeling overwhelmed at having to assume all the responsibilities of being a single mother, trying to be mother and father to both while trying to maintain her career. Their grandmother, the mom’s mother, travelled a five hour flight back and forth to help her daughter as much as she could, too.
So every strand of the web was affected – the dad, of course, but also his kids, wife, her mother and his employee.
The impact of mental illness is felt by everyone – economically, emotionally and personally.
You may ask: Is mental illness a real social problem? Is it as important as climate change or poverty? Why should I care if it doesn’t impact me?
I say that mental illness is a global issue. We, as a global community, must work together to create a change starting at the ground level. We must also work together to change attitudes and stigmas around mental illness. Whether that means encouraging a mental health practice in one’s workplace or referring a friend to a counsellor.
It is difficult to imagine a world where walking into a psychiatrist’s office for help is as easy as walking into a doctor’s office for a physical. Yet, we must move in this direction. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global impact of mental illness is huge, and only growing. And unfortunately, the lack of resources for mental illness in comparison to physical illness is staggering, which results in inequalities.
Whether you are personally dealing with a mental illness, the carer for a family member, or employer- the burden of mental illness impacts you too.
We can all play a role in creating increased awareness of mental illness, decreasing stigmas, and providing support for those who need it.
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Mental Health: A Social Problem? 