Mental health problems

Frank Bruno’s recent predicament, or rather the reaction of some parts of the media to it, is quite telling. Some people don’t take mental disorders seriously, and see them as a bit of a laughing matter. To some those who suffer from mental illness are weak individuals who just need to pull themselves together. When the fact is that is far more accurate description of a cold than any mental disorder.

Sufferers from ME were up in arms when some doctors suggested it may be a psychological rather than physical illness. This tells us more about how mental illness is perceived than about ME; ME sufferers seem to think a psychological illness is somehow less real and worthy of consideration than a physical one.

Mental illness is serious and not in any way a laughing matter. If you break your wrist, you can put it in a plaster cast and it will be almost back to normal in less than 6 weeks. A broken soul is more debilitating, and less easy to fix, and certainly won’t be OK again a mere 6 weeks later.

Mental illness is usually triggered by environmental conditions, (ie Bruno being made to be a figure of fun, lack of communication from others) so perhaps laughter is a defense mechanism for those surrounding people who become depressed and whose actions may have contributed to that depression.