Why are we afraid?

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Why are we so afraid of mental health? Why is it such a taboo topic in our society? Maybe it is because it is an illness in the brain and that is something we associate with crazy? Maybe it is because it is something we don’t fully understand and that ignites fear. Or perhaps it is because we feel like it is something we cannot control? 

Whatever the reason may be, a shroud of darkness lingers around whenever mental health is discussed. I, myself, have had those types of connotations about mental health, however, I now see it in a different light since I have been going my own understanding of my anxiety disorder. Yes, mental disorders are scary and can mess with the chemicals that influence our emotions, choices and thoughts. However, I believe it is time for us to stop being afraid of what we don’t understand and work towards gaining knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of mental disorders and mental health!

19 thoughts on “Why are we afraid?”

  1. Good post, not only are people afraid of mental illness, the general population is afraid of anything out of the norm, anything that might make them feel like there simple, sad world of safeness is being challenged and that would make them have to look at something different other than what they have built up in their heads as their normal…but I am guessing that is normal human behavior, it will only change if we start teaching our children how to look at life differently…

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  2. I didn’t start getting help until I found out other people were also doing the same thing. So many people are afraid of mental illness because they don’t understand it, and those of us who live it are afraid of being stigmatized by those same people.

    I’ve made it a point to be open about my depression and anxiety, because I know how much it helped me knowing other people were dealing with some of the same issues. We all walk our own roads, but there are times that they overlap.

    Thank you for your post, it’s great!

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  3. Well said! I’ve lived with anxiety my whole life and it breaks my heart to think about my teenage and young adult years when I also carried the heavy burden of shame about it. It’s so exciting to see individuals and mental health professionals speaking out to help break down the stigma around mental illness. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  4. I struggled with cptsd due to childhood trauma for years. I was blamed for living in the past by my family and when I went to doctors for help, I was misdiagnosed and they nearly, killed me and made me much crazier with their ‘help’ through drugs. Finally, I quit feeling guilty because I couldn’t leave the past behind and I addressed it. I tended to all those old wounds I tried to ignore for so long. In the end, I learned my intense anxiety was about trying to control things that I couldn’t and am not meant to control. People who are intimidated by talking about mental illness have that same kind of fear. The fear that if others can’t always ‘control’ their mental state then maybe they can’t either. All the anxiety I developed as a way to prevent trauma from my past repeating itself, couldn’t keep bad things from happening in my present or future. Truth is the only thing I have any control over is my attitude and by an attitude of acceptance rather than control, I am much less anxious. When the heart is set right, the head often clears up too.:0) It isn’t this simple in many instances and it isn’t a simple place to get to but most of the time, the answers we need most lie in ourselves. (I’ve never found a lasting answer in any bottle of pills)

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  7. My manager and I talk about our anxiety and therapy sessions occasionally and it’s so easy with her since we both experience it. When I talk to other people about my anxiety they kind of hesitate to respond, but the more I talk about it with them the more they seem to understand how it affects me and are willing to help me when I need it, especially when I get overwhelmed at work.

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