Mental Illness

Rachel George

          Richard Carlson, an American Author says, "Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of illness." Stress seems to be normal because everyone is talking about, but doing nothing about it. A person who is stress might have headaches more often than a person usually get; or feels tired all the time. These little signs people always ignore leads to serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease or Alzheimer's disease. Rob Haskell, writer in fashion magazine and psychiatrist, writes in Vogue magazine, "Under Pressure", about anxiety among adolescents. Haskell tells us that we bypass mental illness. Toby Allen, freelance illustrator, brings mental illness to life; he imagines how mental illness should not be ignored because it is take over people's lives, especially the younger generation.
          Haskell's young patients is where he notices anxiety a lot. He begins with a story about his fifteen year old patient whose parents are Honduran went to the beach for a swim. When he goes into the water, all he remembers is himself trying to gasp for air. Then he tells Haskell, I figured that eventually I would get to tired and then just basically drown...But typical me, I can't even die right"(225). To hear a young boy wanting to die is scary. He is tired of living. Haskell learns that Joseph worried about many things: "Would he ever grow taller than five feet six? Could he ever bring a girl home to see the apartment where he slept with his brother on a foldout sofa in the living room?"(225). He worried so much about simple things about himself. It is as if he does not like himself. As psychiatrist or parent, this should never be ignored.
         Sometimes parents cannot understand why their children act the way they do. Joseph's  mother did not understand why her son acted the way he did. For example, "His mother took his shyness for defiance and complained for his refusal to run simple errands for her, such as stopping by the butcher on his way home"(225). Joseph's mother at the time probably thought that because he is a teen, he is just acting out. However, she is not the only parent who does not know the reasons for their child's behavior. Haskell states, "it may be the    case that the wealthier and more stable we become...the more easily we turn our attention to..."internalizing" conditions"(226). As long as people are making their money, the more they forget about keeping their mental health as normal. People are not aware of the importance of their mental health.
         Allen's art illustrates anxiety, depression, anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia, misophonia, and many more. These creatures are created with "dark colours...heavy and oppressive feelings...the shock of bright pink represents the intense rush of fear or anxiety", said Allen. The colors express the feelings of people with a mental illness. Also he describes what the creature is capable of doing. For example, Paranoia has "tall ears like a radar, scanning the area for any activity...the monsters ears are almost useless...tight curled...thick fur...often hears the wrong thing." Paranoia is a mental disorder where delusions of something horrifying occurs. This is one out of many mental illnesses that are attacking many people because we dash it off.