The somewhat mythical idea of personal failure – While we must own our decisions, we are far from the only factor. And here they are.
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“As I grow older and advocate more for mental health, I start to see its complexities. Both physical and mental health are challenging in their own ways, but mental health is by far the most arduous. What I’ve learned about the battle for better mental health may surprise you.
What makes mental health so challenging? Simply put, it’s the reach of mental illness. Beyond the complexities of mental health disorders themselves, we contend with stigma, access to mental health care, and lack of education – the standard stuff.
All of this, in my view, is just the tip of the iceberg. You may think that other factors at the heart of the illness include its impact on society. Or maybe you’re thinking of the financial cost of mental illness every year. However, I believe it’s time to start looking at mental disorders and their impact in a different way.
What if I told you that mental illness is a result of society itself? By that, I mean we humans are incompatible with the very thing we created. While mental illness should never be oversimplified, nor can we definitively say it’s caused by x or y, we can look at less considered factors, like the formation of the modern world.
Furthermore, we can evaluate other societal factors that exacerbate our mental health.
The somewhat mythical idea of personal failure.
Consider the somewhat mythical idea of personal failure. In Western culture, we are conditioned from childhood to believe that we can be anything we want to be; that if we just get through public school, attend the university or college of our choice, we will be successful. The trouble with this approach is its linearity, or as I like to call it, surface-level thinking.
Life is hard, a fact that Western culture’s ideals don’t account for. This fact becomes abundantly clear once life takes an unexpected turn. All it takes is an unexpected deviation from the norm to throw one off this linear, one-size-fits-all track.
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So, what do you do if, let’s say, you end up being physically disabled, AI (artificial intelligence) destroys your career aspirations, or, you guessed it, you get sidelined by mental illness? Sadly, because we are not taught about contingencies, we can feel lost and void of purpose.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that depression and anxiety can develop.
Yet, in my mind, this isn’t even the biggest driver of mental illness. Yes, the myth of personal failure is a significant part of it. But what’s even bigger is the massive machine that drives the level of personal failure.
This massive machine is the punishment model – the idea that if you’re not making money, you’re forgotten. Sure, there are countries out there that do a great job of looking after the disabled in some ways, but results may vary. For example, those with physical disabilities have infrastructure in place so they can navigate the world easier, while our mentally unwell military veterans are often left on the streets.
While things in my country have improved for service veterans and PTSD, this example still highlights a reality for many. Basically, if you can’t contribute to the economic machine, you’re nothing.
Need proof? Here’s what the numbers say?
The numbers are staggering. People with mental illness are significantly overrepresented in American jails and prisons. The rate of mental disorders in the incarcerated population is three to twelve times higher than that of the general community, and these rates have been increasing since the 1970s. (1)
In 2003, the number of individuals with severe mental illness in American prisons was three times higher than the number in psychiatric hospitals. Despite these high rates, most people in the United States with serious mental illnesses, including substance disorders, do not receive treatment.
“A large part of this is due to the steady elimination of psychiatric hospital beds since 1955, which has dramatically reduced the availability of inpatient services. Community resources intended to replace inpatient care have not kept pace with the affected population, nor have they been adequately funded to do so.
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In terms of homelessness, chronic homelessness is used to describe people who have experienced homelessness for at least a year — or repeatedly — while struggling with a disabling condition such as a serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or physical disability. Per night in January 2022, there were 127,768 homeless individuals with chronic patterns of homelessness. That is nearly 30 percent of the total population of homeless individuals, and 62 percent of chronically homeless individuals were living on the street, in a car, park, or other location not meant for human habitation. (2)
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People experiencing chronic homelessness typically have complex and long-term health conditions, such as mental illness, substance use disorders, physical disabilities, or other medical conditions. Once people with mental illness are significantly overrepresented in American prisons and jails, the rate of mental disorders in the incarcerated population is 3 to 12 times higher than in the general community, and these rates have been increasing since the 1970s.
The rate of severe mental illness in jails and prisons is estimated to be between 16% and 24%, compared to between 3.9% and 5.0% in the general community. In 2003, the number of individuals with severe mental illness in American prisons was three times higher than the number in psychiatric hospitals. Despite these high rates, most people in the United States with serious mental illnesses, including substance disorders, do not receive treatment.
A large part of this is due to the steady elimination of psychiatric hospital beds since 1955, which has dramatically reduced the availability of inpatient services. Community resources intended to replace inpatient care have not kept pace with the affected population, nor have they been adequately funded to do so.
The failure isn’t yours, well not entirely
Clearly, in the US at least, the state and federal governments have failed many with mental illness. And because Canada is following the US’s lead, so too are governments here. Additionally clear to me, is that, while political parties talk of compassion “for all,” this seems to be smoke and mirrors.
In reality, to willingly cut supports that help our most vulnerable in our society, the mentally ill, is both cruel and inhumane. My heart goes out to all of you.
With all that said, you’re not the failure, they are. You’ve been told that “anything is possible,” Not true. Or is it? Maybe it’s better to say that something is possible as long as you keep trying.
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Quote: “We need only the knowledge that good things will happen if we keep trying. So, get up every day and explore anything and everything. Once you find something you fall in love with, passion will be born and so too will your purpose.”
Jonathan Arenburg – Author of the book, The Road To Mental Wellness
At the end of the day, the world is clearly stacked against those with mental illness. However, you can choose to be a victim, or you can keep trying until you succeed. I am rooting for you.
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Learn to Manage and Thrive
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- How to set boundaries with yourself when you have a mental health condition·
- How to optimize living your life with these debilitating mental illnesses.
Message from Jonathan.
As the Founder and Chief content creator for http://theroadtomentalwellness.com, I would like to thank you all for stopping by. We work hard on our content with the reader in mind. Our purpose, to help others by telling our stories. We hope that we are delivering on our mission. Please, let us know if you have found it helpful in the comments sections or follow us on social media and let us know there. Remember, you are not alone, we are all in this together. Please, like and share our content. Especially if you feel like others can benefit from our own experiences. We all thank you for taking the time to read and share our content. Please comeback and keep up to date.
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References:
- “The Mentally Ill in Jail: The Current Predicament,” Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. Available at: https://psychiatry.weill.cornell.edu/research-collaboration/mentally-ill-jail-current-predicament1.
- “Chronic Homelessness,” National Alliance to End Homelessness. Available at: https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/who-experiences-homelessness/chronically-homeless/2.