Harvard Business Review
Mental Illness Is Not a Trend
Explore different opinions of what people with mental illnesses think of their diagnosis being used other than what it actually is.
Multiple trends have emerged in 2019 and can include the use of hydro flasks, puka shell necklaces, and mom jeans. On the other hand, an upcoming “trend” has been mental illness. More specifically, pretending to have one. Walking down the hallway or overhearing conversations—sometimes even listening to teachers in class, mental illnesses are constantly being used in the wrong context. Phrases such as, “I was so distracted in that class; I swear I have ADHD!”, or “I have depression from that test”, and infinitely more examples of comments are being made without even giving thought about the meaning behind it.
This has become so common nowadays, causing it to diminish people who actually have mental illnesses and are going through genuine struggles from what they have on a daily basis. As a society, we should be educated enough to know when it’s an appropriate time for the use of these terms. But at the end of the day, everyone is different with their level of sensitivity or comfort of discussing mental illness and not everyone experiences the same symptoms. Regardless, we should not be pretending to have something we don’t. Many of us have been guilty of using these diagnoses incorrectly; but it’s never too late to change.
Hopefully, after reading this, you can imagine why someone who actually has OCD or actually has depression would feel bothered when someone says they are “depressed” because their favorite sports team lost a game, or when someone has to keep things organized because they’re so “OCD”.
So if you’re reading this as an abled person and hear someone or catch yourself incorrectly using a mental illness, take a minute to rethink what you’re saying and what it actually means, and use your position to educate others. If you’re unfamiliar with what it actually means to have some of these, you might wonder why it’s such a big deal that these words are getting thrown around: here’s why. (Trigger warning: Slight mentions of self-harm and suicide.)
