TEDxSalford

A Little More Conversation

When I was younger, I was a real history nut. I loved stories of days gone by; fashions, traditions, songs, old wives tales, language – I drank it all in. As I was still in primary school and the internet wasn’t widely available, (hard to believe, right?) my main source of information was the fantastic Horrible History books by Terry Deary. With titles such as Rotten Romans, Vile Victorians and Terrible Tudors, I used to ask my parents, “What will we be called in the future? How will our era will be referred to?”

As one of many unanswerable questions children ask their parents I was told that it didn’t matter. Over time, this simple question became, “What will future societies think of us when they look back? What will be our achievements that will mark us in time?” And more importantly, “What will our atrocities be?” Not the wars and revolutions, but of the day-to-day anathemas, the acts that we commit with the passion and vigour of having the moral high ground, only to wake up one morning in fifty years to sadly see how terribly wrong we were.

I worry that society’s approach to mental health is one of these infamies; that one day we will be looked down upon for the way we fear and isolate mental health, and those affected by such illnesses. Delving back into the TED archives, I struck upon Elyn Saks’ talk, ‘A Tale of Mental Illness – From the Inside‘. She details not only her struggles with schizophrenia but also with society’s attitude towards the illness and how these restricted her.

“I sometimes have the idea that nuclear explosions are about to be set off in my brain”

There is a very specific type of fear around mental illness. One that manifests itself from lack of understanding, lack of empathy and bloody-minded dissociation. Borne from want of open discussion around an uncomfortable topic, sweeping the subject from our conversations like crumbs from a table and dusting our hands of it. We convince ourselves that no-one we know would suffer from something like this, that it could never affect us, but that’s not the reality. Up to twenty-four million people worldwide have schizophrenia.

As Saks points out, “schizophrenia presents itself across a wide array of socio-economic statuses, and there are people with the illness who are full time professionals with major responsibilities”. Contrary to popular opinion, violence is not a symptom of schizophrenia, but those with the illness are more at risk from violence from others or themselves. Violence from others – please tell me that sends shivers down your spine, too. Our fear is such that prisons are now larger specialist facilities than hospitals – Saks notes that “LA County Jail is the biggest psychiatric facility in the United States”.

Our reluctance to look this illness in the eye – actually, sack the metaphor – our reluctance to look schizophrenics in the eye is criminalising an illness. Any long-term illness takes time, courage and support to deal with, and it’s hard to comprehend a diagnosis that also carries with it a stigma so strong.

“Imagine having a nightmare while you are awake”

Outside of Saks’ talk I once heard a fact that haunted me; it was that while research into schizophrenia is close to finding a cure, mental health is such a stigma in society that research companies do not receive enough funding to suitably progress research. A cure is in reach, yet that this societal attitude should reach so far as to prevent research into treatment is nothing short of nonsensical. This lack of conversation is not only criminalising an illness but building a barrier in front of prevention or treatment.

I do believe that one day, in the near future, there will be a cure for schizophrenia, and we will find a way to talk about this illness in society so sufferers will not have to feel unnecessarily isolated or afraid. There is a part of me that hopes when future generations look back on our society, they will wince and sadly shake their heads at the way we deal with mental health. That in a foreseeable future empathy towards those with such illnesses will be more free-flowing.

So I say huzzah for Elyn Sacks, and those who tell their stories to those who would block their ears and turn away so as not to hear. Hurrah for the arts and media who portray schizophrenic characters with sympathy and humanity. As for the rest of us; I’m not saying we all need to research into schizophrenia, I’m not saying we all need to donate money, I’m not saying we all need to walk into the streets and embrace one another, what I am saying is why not watch Elyn Saks’ talk?…..then maybe talk about it. Let’s just make sure we all talk about it with a little empathy and a little humanity.

Feature image used under Creative Commons license from JD Hancock