Influencers Mis-Leveraging Mental Health Topic
There is a CNBC article, Depression as a marketing tool? When influencers get the mental health conversation wrong, which points out a big problem that a lot of people do concerning depression. Some act as if all depression is the same and it’s not, it’s far from what it is. There’s situational depression and there’s diagnosed medical depression that is very different.
The Article pointed out that “German mental health charity Deutsche Depressionsliga, which is run by and for those who have depression, released a statement titled “depression is not a marketing tool” in response.”
Recently as you may be aware I pointed out very clearly how you can’t write a happy song about a time you couldn’t get out of bed and facing depression and then say it’s about your life. However, that’s another discussion, but it’s part of a lawsuit I’m in about the song “Smile” by Katy Perry. I wouldn’t be a mental illness advocate fighting the stigma if I didn’t point these kind of things out when I see it, it hurts those who suffer and I’m very protective over it.
Stigma is Rampant
It’s done so much by too many people and it creates a very bad stigma about real depression and real severe mental disorders that do not turn off with a snap or when things in your life get better. That’s called situational depression and it’s not the same thing. When some people think of depression and anxiety disorders, some tend to think it’s just that, a situational hard time or even worse they are just being a baby about a situation or looking for attention. That’s what crosses peoples mind about these serious disorders because people have overused situational depression when talking about depression and anxiety.
There’s no way for people not to fully understand the difference until they experience in their own life or a family member or friend deals with it or they are medically trained about it, unless it’s pointed out and talked about. Like this article I’ve included did a great job pointing out the problem. The influencers don’t seem like they understand the difference and are pushing the exact stigma that it’s just a light switch when you get yourself some sun and do the things that make you happy. That’s true stuff for someone who does not have a disorder and that stuff does help the average brain deal with situations and their emotions get better. That’s mental health tips, and that’s great but not when your talking about serious medical problems like depression.
I Once Didn’t Fully Understand Clinical Depression
When I was a younger teenager and only knew my own problems but not much else around me like other problems like this problem I’m speaking of, someone in my family had bad depression and I didn’t understand it and I asked why they couldn’t just be happier and we went on a drive and it was explained to me it’s not a purposeful thing that’s being done on purpose and it’s not something that just turns off. I didn’t understand it fully but I always remembered it and as I grew older and only became more and more aware of these problems and what they consist of, real depression is not situational depression.
Everyone gets sad, has hard times, everyone gets anxiety and has fears in life but all that is nothing compared to the real disorders and what they do to someone’s life every day no matter what great things happen to them. It’s not easy to watch or live and we can’t have people and influencers selling this fake quick fix, it’s not healthy for anyone. Everybody’s diagnosis and disorder is different than the next persons also, with a lot being in common between every diagnosis, every person is different in the things they are experiencing and things that help Bob may not help Mary.
How you can Help
Help by understanding by doing your own intense research also and learning through others like me who are trying to help these stigmas stop. This way we can have more help with these serious disorders, which we need. Above all we need more love shown to the ones who suffer, not more people taking it less serious.
