Everyday emotional experiences have been redefined and turned into an illness of one kind or another. It is rare to hear ordinary people speak of 'having a bad day' or 'feeling sad' due to the loss of a loved one or the monotony of life. Now all unwanted experiences are defined by new identity tags, 'stress’, ‘depression' or 'anxiety'. These are not people who have been in combat or undergone trauma of the mind. When did normal emotional experiences become an illness? Is this just another opportunity to target the vulnerable in our nation/s? Absolutely. The term ‘mental illness’ is a misnomer and the term ‘mental health’ builds on the idea.
Interestingly, the Mental Health Foundation makes this telling comment on their website:
"Common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are distributed according to a gradient of economic disadvantage across society. The poorer and more disadvantaged are disproprotionately affected by common mental health problems and their adverse consequences"
This implies that the poor in society are more likely to fall into the newly marketed categories. There is something very wrong with this picture and history tells us that we are unwise to embrace secular ideas on the subject without first ensuring that the measuring line is accurate. Below are videos that challenge the myth behind ‘mental illness’ and the insidious use of medication on innocent lives.
