Confronting Social Causes of Despair - Implications of Silence and Stigma
The prevalence of suicide among youth is a deeply troubling social issue that has been on my mind for over a decade. While it is true that severe psychopathology sometimes leads to tragic outcomes, there are many effective treatments that can help suicidal individuals rediscover hope and purpose. During my undergraduate studies, I was introduced to the “bio-psycho-social” approach to understanding mental illness. I believe that a significant barrier to addressing suicide is a societal inability to confront the “social” contribution to severe psychopathology.
For example, disclosing a history of an eating disorder, psychosis, or substance use in a job interview or an academic statement of purpose can result in being viewed as a liability. It is therefore not surprising that the mere discovery of a severe psychiatric diagnosis can be absolutely crushing for a young patient—not to mention the trauma of a first episode, hospitalization, or the adjustment to psychiatric medications. By insisting as a society that we maintain the illusion of a “clean house” and avoid the admission of painful realities at all costs, we essentially condemn some of the strongest among us to a life of unearned shame, guilt, and isolation. I believe that suicide often feels like the only escape from deep emotional distress because of a persistent, misplaced social rejection of conditions that are largely biological.
While I do not claim to have a definitive way to alter societal norms or fully eliminate youth suicide, I believe we all have a role to play—especially those in positions of clinical and social leadership. We need courageous transparency in every sector of society, including media, government, and academia. Advocates need to move beyond simply pushing for "mental health days" toward normalizing the success of those managing serious mental illness.
This is not an easy ask, and I am fully aware of the risks involved in what I am proposing. Reputations are at stake, and anyone who is open about their psychiatric history automatically subjects themselves to scrutiny, rejection, and even humiliation. However, I do not believe the alternative of maintaining the status quo is any better, and I can think of no other way to dissolve the shame and embarrassment surrounding these topics.
It is time to face the music and take action. We should produce media that illustrates how people heal and rebuild their lives after confronting a psychiatric diagnosis. Politicians should share their own lived experiences when advocating for mental health social programs, and educational institutions should implement explicit policies that protect those who disclose a psychiatric disability in their applications. Perhaps then the tide will begin to turn, allowing us to not only save lives but to unlock a wealth of untapped potential.