'Mental Health Problem'

After the horrifying attack in Texas, Donald Trump spoke out and called this a 'mental health PROBLEM' in his country. Where in reality, it's more of a gun related problem and over the last few years we have seen a rise in gun related attacks over in the states. I think I've written something along the lines of this before when Josh Widdicombe came out with "Isn't any person who kills hundreds of people mentally unwell?" one night on the last leg.

This infuriates me more than I will admit, because looking back on my teenage self, straight after being diagnosed, seeing things like this scared me senseless. I didn't want to end up as one of these terrible people and I assumed that this was how it all went down for anyone with mental health issues. I was terrified that now that I had that diagnosis that this was my future, that this was going to happen, I was going to be locked up and it was inevitable, I couldn't stop it.

But what I've realised is that not everyone with mental health issues is a heartless murder or that they are unsafe to society and so emotionally detached from everything that they can't see that this is wrong. The stigma surrounding mental health issues is disgusting and this just perpetuates it further. I know that something has to be psychologically wrong with people who go out and do these terrible things, but I just feel sick the minute I hear the blame go straight to mental health issues.

1 in 4 people suffer with a mental health issue in the UK. That is a QUARTER of the population. Could you imagine the state of the UK if a quarter of the population actually behaved how these stereotypes portray us? It makes me so sad that "mental health problem" is still spat with such ferocity when things like this happen. People with mental health issues aren't bad people, quite the opposite, a large majority of us are functioning members of society. I just feel like when things like "this country has a mental health problem" puts a negative connotation on mental health issues and I hate that it just perpetuates and rasies the stigma to those who are uneducated to mental health stuff.

I'm tired of reading mental health being the blame of such terrible things in the world, like terrorist attacks when there is so much more to why those people are motivated to do those things. I hope one day we see a change so that young people that are feeling that isolation and fright won't go through the same stress and worries that I did.

Please remember you are never alone and there is always someone out there that cares. For more information you can find things here: https://www.mind.org.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAiAnabTBRA6EiwAemvBd67HIuoOxAA4r_X6PgN69bQEqJS4-JreYeGpEw4UzDoBU0evxYDhIxoClR8QAvD_BwE

Rebecca
xxx