It is not always beneficial to discuss one's mental health.
Few of us would argue that it is necessary to shatter the secrecy around mental illness. Countless campaigns have pounded into us the importance of breaking such quiet wherever we encounter it.
One such initiative is Britain Gets Talking. It made its debut on Britain's Got Talent a few years ago, when presenters Ant and Dec halted the broadcast for a minute to let fans to discuss about their mental health with one another. When the minute was over, Ant said, "See, wasn't that easy?" Without a doubt, programs like these have helped many individuals speak up about their mental health issues, especially those who have remained quiet due to prejudice and stigma.
They may, however, reinforce myths about silence in mental illness. They argue that silence in and around mental illness is always harmful since it is based on fear and stigma, and that any attempt to break it is beneficial. Indeed, silence in mental illness may take various forms.
Some types of quiet are associated with mental disorders such as depression. People who have written about their depression experiences often mention losing their capacity to form ideas and feeling unable to talk.
For example, the novelist Andrew Solomon remembers that he "could not manage to say much". "Words, with which I had always been acquainted, looked suddenly extremely intricate, complicated metaphors, the application of which took much more energy than I could ever summon," he writes.This feature of depression is well-known in the field of mental health. Thinking less and speaking less are two distinct signs of depression. According to some study, silence is such a reliable sign that it may be feasible to build automated systems that identify depression based on a person's speaking habits.
If you're feeling "depressed silence," being presented with ads and people asking you to talk may not help, no matter how well-intentioned they are. After all, the issue isn't that people aren't interested in what you have to say or that they may respond negatively to it. It's because you have nothing to say. Other kind of quiet might be powerful. Some persons with mental illnesses are fiercely quiet because others around them ask unwanted questions or provide hurtful feedback. They may correctly opt to leave unpleasant discussions to their therapist.
Such a decision is not always motivated by stigma. Someone's good intentions and knowledge of mental health facts do not imply that they are the best person to discuss mental illness with. In the case of mental illness, silence may be therapeutic. While some individuals have difficulty thinking and communicating, others have difficulty thinking and saying too much.
That might be the case for someone suffering from bipolar illness, who has spells of despair as well as mania, which generally includes racing thoughts and a strong need to communicate. Moments of undisturbed stillness may be a hard-won triumph for such individuals, and they occasionally pay a tragically expensive price for it.
We rarely hear about the other side of mental illness silence. But, at least since Donald Winnicott's groundbreaking study The Capacity to be Alone, therapists have recognized the function of quiet in fostering mental health. And some type of stillness is an important component of meditation, which has been demonstrated in trials to reduce the recurrence of depression.
Because sad silence seems to be a component of the depressive illness, it may be something the patient must overcome with the assistance of a mental healthcare professional as part of their rehabilitation. Along the same reasons, even if the quiet seems pleasant, someone may benefit from breaking it in therapy.
Despite the encouragement of a celebrity on TV, many individuals will not find such situations with their family, friends, or workplace. It is difficult to speak about mental health issues, even with those who love and support us. Sometimes this is due to stigma, but other times it isn't.Of course, we should continue to work to make it easier for individuals to talk about their mental health issues in appropriate settings. However, we must eliminate the language that forces individuals to break the silence without respect for why they are quiet or if speaking will help them.
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