Mental Illness: the Tragedy of Mental Illness

by chuck.taylor

When we see a homeless man begging on the side of the road it evokes different emotions in us. If he appears out of touch with reality, we feel fear. If he is an alcoholic and begging for money, we feel anger, assuming his alcoholism is what landed him on the streets in the first place. What we don’t realize is that in many instances, people who are homeless are often mentally ill and on no medication. It is common for drugs and alcohol to be used in an attempt to self medicate, leading to addiction problems.

Mental illness strikes new victims each day, robbing them of a quality of life that most people maintain on a daily basis. Those of us who live with a sound mind are often unaware of the suffering the mentally ill endure unless we have a friend or relative who has this disease. In silence it attacks the mind, rendering it powerless without some kind of intervention. In turn, the one suffering is forced to depart from all that he or she has known as normal and enters a private hell from which there is no escape. To be a prisoner of your own mind is a tragedy that that is incomprehensible yet intriguing at the same time. Often used as a platform for movies and entertainment, it is anything but entertaining to the one who is in its grips.

Isolation creeps in as friends and family keep their distance when behaviors become unpredictable and bizarre. Forced to face the frailty of the human mind we often turn our heads in an attempt to maintain our own strong standing when we see that this disease is not a respecter of persons. Where does that leave the sick? Imprisoned, alone and friendless. This, in itself, is the greater tragedy. In a world where there is so much information and insight there is no excuse for such ignorance. What do the mentally ill need from us the most? They need understanding and compassion, but most of all, they need a friend. Be one.

Mental illness strikes new victims each day, robbing them of a quality of life that most disease. In silence it attacks the mind, rendering it powerless without some kind of intervention. In turn, the one suffering is forced to depart from all that he or she has known as normal and enters a private hell from which there is no escape.

To be a prisoner of your own mind is a tragedy that that is incomprehensible yet intriguing at the same time. Often used as a platform for movies and entertainment, it is anything but entertaining to the one who is in its grips. Isolation creeps in as friends and family keep their distance when behaviors become unpredictable and bizarre. Forced to face the frailty of the human mind we often turn our heads in an attempt to maintain our own strong standing when we see that this disease is not a respecter of persons. Where does that leave the sick? Imprisoned, alone and friendless. This, in itself ,is the greater tragedy. In a world where there is so much information and insight there is no excuse for such ignorance. What do the mentally ill need from us the most? They need acceptance and understanding. They need a friend. Be one.

Guest lecture by Professor Nikolas Rose, ‘Mental Illness: Five Hard questions’ – Lecture delivered on 15 May 2013. Professor Rose is one of our leading contemporary social scientists. Currently he is Professor of Sociology and Head of the…