Breaking Societal Dialogue

 by Brian Warriner

            The sad truth is that it is often reflected in the stories we see depicted on television and in movies. When someone is in the hospital, their symptoms point to a psychological event. Especially when the patient is a minor and the parents are told their child has a psychological event, and they bring in a psychiatrist. Immediately, they shout that their child is not crazy. My question is, why does it have to go to that extreme?

            That is where parents draw the line in caring for their child. They demand that they be discharged and taken home. I understand that parents care about their children. However, they do not have medical degrees, nor do they believe there is something wrong, or they do not want to believe it. However, I believe that deep down, it scares them because it is something they cannot change or fix. However, it is no reason for the threats to sue, to take away the doctor’s medical license, or to sue the hospital when all they are doing is treating their child.

            Having a child who is experiencing a mental health crisis does not mean that they are crazy. Far from it, they have been dealing with a mental illness that has either been misdiagnosed or has flown under the radar. It took a traumatic event to bring it to the forefront. Medical drama shows are incorporating this into their storylines. I saw a show where a girl had severe abdominal pain. She had a bowel obstruction, and they went in surgically to remove the blockage. Only to find it was a hairball, the girl was under intense pressure from her mother, who believed she was eating her own hair. Over time, it formed into a ball and obstructed her intestines (Nowlan, 2013). Shows like Gray’s Anatomy, Chicago Med, The Resident, or The Pit. Many of us have watched these shows and been inside an emergency room and know it is not like that. That is because it is overly dramatic and exaggerated. It was an episode of Chicago Med where this child was being abused by his brother and was rushed to the hospital. As the doctor noticed something about the brother, he asked about blood and surgery, and made comments. Led the doctor to believe that their son was showing signs of being a sociopath. When the doctor discussed it with the parents, they blew up. How dare he make judgments on their son? They wanted to leave, but their son was not around. The monitors in the room began to sound, indicating that the brother was in danger. That was the proof the parents needed that their son was abusing his brother and taking joy in the abuse (Petrie, 2016).

            I want to clarify that I am not a parent and have no intention of becoming one. With everything going on in life, parents can get overwhelmed. They truly believe that they know what is best for their children. I believe it is in that block that they forget that they do not know everything and what is in the best interest of their children. It is because their emotions are in overdrive; you try telling a parent to calm down during a medical crisis when their children are involved. Moreover, watch the fireworks go off. With emotions running high, stress, and everything else going on, you want your child(ren) to be okay.

            However, society has embedded the idea that if you suffer from a mental health crisis, that automatically makes you “crazy”. If you have schizophrenia, people think you are “crazy.” The truth is that it stems from the negative stigma we have put on mental health. For centuries, if you had a member of your family with mental health issues, they were locked away from public view. Unlike Charles II of Spain, who, due to the history of inbreeding, had mental and cognitive disabilities, and was made King of Spain from 1665-1700 (Charles II| King of Spain, n.d). However, because of the physical, mental, cognitive, and emotional issues he lived with, he ruled only in name. He had a regency, which is when someone else makes decisions and takes on the act of ruling. For most of his life, it was his mother, Mariana of Austria, who ruled Spain until her death in 1695; thereafter, it was advisors and councilors who governed the country.

            We need to break the stigma around mental health and the shame that we have put on it. We are humans, and for as long as we have existed, there have always been mental health issues. This is nothing new to us, but the way people have clung to the old ways of thinking. The fact that we have celebrities discussing their mental health battles and even writing about them. Carrie Fisher, before her unexpected death, discussed her bipolar disorder. She wrote about it in her books like Postcards from the Edge and her one-woman show and memoir Wishful Drinking, in which she discusses her mental health battles.

            We also have Selena Gomez, Taraji P. Henson, Lady Gaga, Ryan Phillippe, Janet Jackson, and many more who have been open about their mental health issues. However, we are all susceptible to being diagnosed with a mental health disorder. We must start speaking up and discussing our mental health conditions, disorders, and issues. However, we need to reeducate ourselves to stop associating mental health with being crazy. We need to get rid of the shame that is forced upon people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. We need to let them know they are not alone. Parents, you do not know everything, and the accredited professionals have spent years studying to understand mental illness and how to treat it. That is how we developed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Medication, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Psychotherapy and many other treatments (NAMI, 2024).

            In conclusion, we need to fix the problem that society has created around mental illness. In fact, it is not going to be easy because it has taken hundreds of years to develop the stigma and shame. It will take time to break the stigma and end the shame. We are not alone in this world, even though it may feel that way. Parents, please do not disregard your child’s doctor when they order a psych evaluation, or have you and your child speak to a psychiatrist. They want the same thing that you do: they want your child to get better and go home. However, sometimes that road may get longer as the necessary things take their place to make sure your child and you have the right tools to deal with the mental illness, rather than hide in shame and in denial that it does not exist, because it does exist. Just be open to what they say. Because together we can break the stigma and end the shame.

 

References

Nowlan, C. (2013, January 17). Grey’s Anatomy. (Season 9, Episode 11).

            [Television Show Grey’s Anatomy]. ABC.

Petrie, D. (2026, April 19). Chicago Med. (Season 1, Episode 14).

[Television Show Chicago Med]. NBC.

Charles II| King of Spain. (n.d). Encyclopedia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/charles-ii-king-of-spain

NAMI. (2024). Mental Health Treatments. NAMI. National Association of Mental Illness

            https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/treatments/