This past semester, I was given the opportunity to become president of Active Minds here on campus. The main objective for Active Minds is to spread awareness of mental illness across college campuses. That means breaking the thought that someone is weak or lesser due to a mental illness and with this comes pill shaming. Pill shaming is the act of mocking or shaming those who take medication. The general idea of this pill shaming phenomenon is that one is deemed weak for taking medicine, or the idea that pills are useless and they do not work. This is downright wrong in every aspect. Mainly because one in six Americans have used a psychiatric drug. (JAMA Internal Medicine)
Most mental illnesses result from a chemical imbalance in the brain. For example, depression is a result of the brain not making enough serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin is responsible for happiness and is commonly known as “the happy chemical.” Another cause of this debilitating illness is that too much of these chemicals are absorbed. To help ease this, people are typically prescribed Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs. These pills allow more serotonin to be available by increasing the levels of it.
A few common arguments for being “anti-medication” is “it is all in your head.” It is, technically, but depression or anxiety are not simple things you can just talk yourself out of. It is not just a mindset that you have to rewire. This is something that is sometimes uncontrollable and is easily managed through medication. Medication does not work for all people. Some people are able to work out for a few hours and feel happy and energized, but on the other hand, some people cannot even get out of bed.
Stigma is such an important thing to realize when talking about mental illness. Some people who need help the most resist it because of the stigma and negative connotation that surrounds it.This is something that has been near and dear to my heart for a while now. When I finally got to college, I realized that my sad and depressed mood wasn’t just a thing I could ignore anymore and I finally asked for help. I used to think I was on my own. Why was I still thinking these things that I knew were irrational but I just couldn’t get it out of my head? I would talk myself out of getting help due to the fact that I deemed myself unworthy of help.
I asked some of my friends who are members of Active Minds and our rugby team about what they thought of pill shaming and the responses were astounding. They think the same things I do; I’m not alone. Gina Johnston shared that “[she] was shamed by a friend for being on antidepressants and was told that she was addicted.” Megan Miller also shared that the impact antidepressants had on her were more than she could have hoped for and that she is grateful she took the step to manage her anxiety. She made an excellent point in saying “if you were deficient in iron or a vitamin, you wouldn’t be ashamed about taking a pill… and mental health shouldn’t be any different.” This shows that you truly aren’t alone.
The best way to break this stigma is to talk about it, make it known. You never truly know what someone is going through. When did it become a crime to be the best version of yourself? So what the best version of yourself takes a little pill every morning? Those people you sit in class with were the same person they were yesterday, just today, you found out they have a mental illness. Mental illness and medication does not make anyone any less of a person. Remember, depression is a flaw in chemistry, not character.
If you or someone you know need help, the Wellness Center has three therapists and are open Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Also, some other numbers that are good to have NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or text NAMI to 741-741, National Suicide Prevention Life Line: 800-273-TALK (8255), National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233) and National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673).
HCXO,
Aliyah