Unlearn Mental Health

Rahim Salhi

    Mental health is a pretty broad topic. It’s also a very individual and personal thing to explore and talk about. Seeing a loved one struggle with the signs of a mental illness may be incredibly challenging and heartbreaking. Knowing the right way to assist and support a loved one may sometimes be challenging. Everybody is unique, and every circumstance is unique as well. Both good physical and mental wellness are crucial. In fact, more than half of all Americans will be diagnosed with a mental disease or problem at some point in their lives. These are some of the most frequent health problems in the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) conceptualizes mental health as a “state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. In any given year, one in every five Americans will suffer from mental illness. Mental diseases are caused by a range of circumstances, including biological issues and isolation, drug and alcohol use, trauma, stress, and sickness. However, we have to learn as a society how unlearn many of the concepts related to mental health issues and help those affected by it to cope and feel Ok with their situation.

    As an engineer, I am very acquainted with the idea of reverse engineering, the process of disassembling something in order to figure out how it was built. We have a duty to one another and to ourselves to reverse engineer how we've come to comprehend and treat mental health so that we can do everything we can to better. We may retrain how to embrace individual experiences and diversity and unlearn being judgmental. We may unlearn the stigma associated with mental illness and relearn how to be understanding, empathetic, and proactive.

    Unfortunately, society stigmatizes and disdains those who suffer from mental diseases. High percentages of untreated mental diseases exist in both the United States and throughout the world as a result of the stigma surrounding mental illnesses as well as a number of other issues. There are a number of ways to reverse engineer mental health issues that can assist to solve this issue. These solutions can be developed by analyzing the factors that contribute to certain people with mental diseases not seeking or receiving treatment, as well as the many consequences of untreated mental disorders.

    Speaking about myself, I had once experienced mental health issues during my high school (I won’t be specific about the situation, but I am going to share some thoughts on my experience). It was all as a result of spending a long time bottling up my feelings and eventually, this started to take a toll on my mental health and even affected my studies in school. I found it difficult to ask for assistance and hesitant to. And there was a plethora of reasons that added up to my situation, I believed that I could manage situation on my own. And most of the time I had doubts about others’ ability to help. As I was unsure of what to anticipate. But the most terrible excuse I had that time, is being afraid from stigma and sharing my experience with others.

    So, how can we eradicate these harmful stigmas that are so prevalent in our society? We begin by questioning what we've been told and explore fresh ideas. New perspectives on mental diseases, the need for assistance, and how to obtain assistance. New perspectives on how to preserve excellent mental health, as well as inclusion, acceptance, and diversity. New perspectives on what it means to be a person with mental health illness.

    We never stop learning. We learn in school, through teachers, family, personal experience, and friends. We learn via media consumption. However, these inputs are not neutral. If what's going in is excellent, that's beneficial. But if what's going in isn't beneficial, we may have to put in some effort to alter it. We might have to unlearn. People used to be taught that the world was flat. That takes some effort to unlearn. We believed that smoking was beneficial for. Unlearning is a necessary aspect of the learning process. A regular diet of negative imagery has aided in the propagation of erroneous depictions of mental illness.

    Stigma and discrimination are distinct concepts, but they are inextricably linked. It boils down to how we treat others based on characteristics they have or do not have. Discrimination breeds inequality and silences critical voices. It restricts freedom. And fear of discrimination is a major reason why individuals do not receive the assistance they require. We've all seen stereotypes of persons with mental illnesses who are damaged, dangerous, incurable, excessively medicated, intimidating, or reckless. We've built some terrible cultural beliefs about what it means to be mentally unwell. And the acceptance of some very tenacious stigmas has evolved from those beliefs, anxieties, misunderstandings, and stereotypes. These stigmas have historically impacted prejudice against persons who think or feel differently than society expects or accepts. Because of these stigmas, we have become less sympathetic, more prejudiced, and less sensitive. Phobia of being labeled, judged, excluded, or discriminated against is the source of this fear.

    To learn, we must first unlearn. It's critical to always examine what you believe you know and understand why you think the way you do. How we talk about mental diseases and how the media portrays persons with mental illnesses have had a significant influence on how we treat people with mental illnesses and how we think about our own mental health. We need to unlearn these assumptions in order to remove all of the barriers that prevent us from freely discussing mental health, seeking treatment, and recognizing when and how to support others.

    We all grow used to thinking in particular ways and changing our perspectives on the world may be a difficult task. Perhaps unlearning shame, isolation, and humiliation, will give us an opportunity to learn how to connect, develop, and grow together. We must also unlearn quiet suffering and rediscover the need of consistent individual and communal support and encouragement. Promoting mental health entails receiving assistance whenever we feel we require it.