Why is mental illness still considered "taboo"?

Let's be honest. You don't want to trigger someone or say something wrong to someone with a mental illenss, especially when you don't have it and you're not sure what those things are. I've got a mental illness and I'd rather people didn't talk to me about it. (Not healthy, I know, but seriously.) I don't want pity, which is what usually happens. I don't want backhanded questions or fake comments. I think people are afraid of doing the wrong thing, and making the other person uncomfortable.

Another thing is that sometimes people are scared around others with mental illnesses. Sometimes when they hear 'mental' they think asylum and insanity and maybe even unstable, and that might frighten them with the unpredictability of the situation.

It's more of a personal thing, but I agree. I wish it was something that was easier to talk about.

Mental illness is considered taboo cause it is often seen as a weakness, if you suffer with your mind and your feelings you're being a baby cause a mature person or a strong person won't cry over "nothing" you must fix your problems and get over it, just stop feeling bad... That's what society says even if each person does not believe it, that's what they're bounded to say. Your mental health means nothing these days.

People are not familiar with mental illnesses. In my country if you share you have one, they'lll take it as a joke. For them, there's no such thing. Like you're just making excuses to not do something right.

@IndigoRoses

Our mind has been so freaking conditioned by the society to always appear as the good person, the good girl....and that only then will we be accepted into the society and stuff... What we fail to realise is that it is impossible to please everyone in this world and that even trying to do so is not just futile, it is also frustrating. But since we have already started out on this path, we now have to keep up this 'image' of ourselves. The society doesn't really want to know us for who we really are, it just wants the ideal good person in us...i.e. us minus our flaws. And in our attempt to conceal the bad in us, we stress ourselves. We try to make ourselves believe that we are happy when we are actually broken ...into pieces too innumerable to count. I can't believe that in 2016, we still live in this (so called) modern understanding world !!!

I know it sounds sad and depressing but the way i see the world, the sky isn't always blue.......

@IndigoRoses people are afraid of the unknown.

It's frustrating that when it comes to the brain, it can't garner sympathy.

It's because you can't see it. People are scared of things they can't see, can't understand, and can't control. People are also scared "it could happen to them" or that they could some how catch the metal illness like you can a cold.

Most people just don't understand it. Having never experienced it, first or second hand, it's something new that they can't visually perceive.

Even if they want to help they don't know how. Unfortunately this usually defaults to no action on their part, because they figure it would be less damaging than to try and intervene.

When I was the military my superiors and subordinates would leave me alone all the time. I didn't know why until one day some brave soul I was training with said he was going to be straight with me and explained that everyone was "afraid to even look at me in case it offended me somehow and I ended up killing myself that same day"

Education on the subject and reiteration from intermediate to university would do wonders to remove this stigma.

I think that the biggest problem is that mental health issues have little to no outward signs. You can see an amputee, see degenerative tissue disease, see the paleness of someone suffering the flu. Mental issues cannot be seen as readily. As well as a lot of people believe it is just a matter of making up your mind to feel a different way. Ignorance breeds contempt.

@IndigoRoses well overall humans as a whole are selfish and lazy. Most people adopt a "if its not me its not my problem." attitude. Also I know that as smart as I am and as much as I understand about people biologically and neurologically, my patience wears thin with some people with problems. Now knowing this I do try to keep myself in check but I was also beaten if I wasn't a thoughtful and caring person and said anything or did anything deemably wrong in my mothers eyes.... I think unfortunately some people do need a swift kick or hit and maybe it'd wake them up to reality so they'd stop pawning their problems off on others or putting the blame on others always as well as maybe these people would learn sympathy. There is a time when you need to recognize that there is no one in the way but yourself once you are an adult. But we all need help at some point or another. That is where compassion is supposed to come in. The USA government could practically care less about the people they send to war and the damages they come back with both mentally and physically. They dont hold true to their promise to their troops. And all I can think is if those men and women aren't getting help what does it matter of anyone else does because PTSD is PTSD. And it can be horrendous to have to live through what they see not taking into account they will see it repeatedly the rest of their lives even with "help". People fear what they dont know or understand. And sometimes because they do understand and have fear about the outcomes. It's horrible but if there were no evil there would be no good either. So take that as you will.