Knowledge

     I interpret knowledge as facts or truth on a topic, used to clarify others' ignorance or misunderstandings on it. Whether it be about homosexuality, race, or a simple rumor, there are ignorant people who choose not to face facts and there are people who acknowledge the truth and accept it. I gain knowledge outside of school through researching on the internet, reading books, or simply talking with other people who are a primary source of a topic. Continuous acquisition of knowledge is important because if we let ignorance grasp onto us because of temptation, then we are more likely to misunderstand things and otherwise hurt others. The more knowledge we know on a subject, the easier it will be to face reality and understand real world topics.

Equality Between Mental and Physical Illnesses

     I believe that mental illnesses should be treated as equally as physical illnesses. People tend to brush off or care less about mental illnesses, putting it off as if people have it by choice. However, at the other end of the spectrum, there will be people who will pretend to have a mental illness in order to receive attention from others. In the end, these were the results of people's ignorance on mental disorders. Several people stereotype others with mental disorders and this leads to misunderstandings. Physical and mental disorders can both affect people severely, so they should both be treated equally.

     People with mental illnesses are typically treated with less respect than those with physical disorders. Millions of people with cancer, for example, get treated at the hospital and some go into chemotherapy to get rid of it. The patients even have the right to have their family with them for comfort. Yet, millions of people with schizophrenia, for example, don't always get the help that they deserve, even when they reach out for help. Sometimes their families aren't supportive of them and people don't believe them when they say that they "hear voices." Both illnesses are terrifying to the victim, so both should receive equal support and respect for treatment.

     Many people tend to get the idea that a mental illness is a choice. They need to understand that it isn't a choice at all. Why would they believe that somebody, for example, would choose to have OCD? I definitely know for a fact that nobody chooses to have cancer. If anything, people wish for cancer to be non-existent. Both illnesses are not someone's choice to have. People don't have a choice in whether or not they suffer, but they do get a choice in how they handle their circumstances. They could choose to get help and receive treatment, or they could choose to refuse help and gradually get worse. People can't choose on whether or not they get a mental illness, but only on how they deal with it.

     If people aren't treating mental illnesses or respect or ignorance, they're turning it into an attention center. In some parts of society, people believe that mental illnesses are "cool" or a "trend." For example, they romanticize self-harm, which is a way to cope with some of their illnesses. I know that people don't self-harm for attention. I know this because usually people that self-ham will wear long sleeves or find some way to cover up their self-inflicted injuries, whether it be a bruise, a cut, or a burn. Another example is when people believe that depression is beautiful. Depression is in no way "beautiful" or "cool." There have been movies made with people who have depression falling in love and living a great life for the rest of the movie. These types of movies are inaccurate because they don't actually happen in real life. The chances of that happening are slim to none because depression isn't easy to deal with and it shouldn't be a reason for love. The way depression is portrayed in these films lack logic on the actual illness. Symptoms such as not wanting to get up, not wanting to eat, always feeling tired or having insomnia, and generally feeling empty or sad most of the time are left out. Pain isn't beautiful. It's a struggle to take care of yourself when you're dealing with this.

     Mental illnesses tend to get stereotyped. You don't have depression if you're sad about a test grade for a week. You don't have anxiety disorder if you are shy around your crush. You aren't bipolar if you have regular mood swings. People can't just "get over" their mental illnesses. The same goes for physical illnesses. They can receive treatment to ease the symptoms, but the person will still have to deal with it. When people try to bring up the topic of mental illness, others often treat it as a taboo. One stereotype would be that if you hang around someone with a mental disorder, you'll also get a mental disorder. That in itself is false. Mental illness is not a virus that goes around school. You can't always tell if somebody has a mental illness because of a person's appearances. Mental illness is not "soulful" or "artistic." Terms regarding mental illness like, "I'm so OCD about ..." to replace "I need to keep this neat and clean," are also general stereotypes. Mental disorders' terms shouldn't be used in everyday situations so casually.

    In conclusion, mental illnesses should be treated with the same level of support and respect as physical illnesses because illnesses in general do not discriminate.