Since the ancient times, mental illness carried the stigma of a great misfortune, which at times was experienced as bad as a curse. This stigma is still evident today and for many people in our communities, asking for help is not considered as a potential option, partly due to the mistrust and the fear of being seen and labelled at best as weak, and at worse as ‘mentally unstable’. Historically, this was attributed to a medically oriented profession that was perceived as being preoccupied only with the diagnosis and treatment of mental un-healthiness with psychotropic medication.
There is also a large percentage of people who choose not to unsettle their familiar ways of ‘getting on with things’, despite having to struggle with issues that compromise the quality of their lives. Inspired by cultural constructs, going as far back as the Spartan cult of self-discipline and the stoic philosophy, some actually prefer to adopt the attitude that can be best described in a language that has a rather universal resonance, as for instance in reference to the reserved British ‘stiff upper lip’. In our clinical experiences we regularly come across people’s unhappiness associated with inner struggles that are hidden away, camouflaged or bottled up as a result of such attitudes. And despite the fact that we are now more exposed to the option of therapy and its potential benefits than ever before even with the ‘seal of a Royal approval’, far too many of us would not knock at a therapist’s door when we need help.
Admittedly, whilst this option of therapy cannot be regarded as a panacea, it should not be experienced as a weakness or be compromised by ignorance and prejudice either. Research evidence shows that more people nowadays are able to talk openly about mental health, but gender determines the road to seeking psychological help. Women are more likely to make the first step in their efforts to finding such support in contrast to men. Over the centuries male generations have been subjected to the socio-cultural norm that men do not cry and certainly do not express feelings in the way women do as it would compromise their masculinity. Sadly, one cannot either ignore the statistics which indicate that alcoholism and drug misuse is alarmingly high in our modern societies; that one in four men in the UK suffers from a mental health problem; and that male suicide is shockingly the single biggest killer of British men under forty-five. The difficult times that we are all going through during this pandemic have allowed us collectively to re-think and re-evaluate whatever had been familiar to us so far and we took for granted, including our mental health that demands equally our attention and our efforts to approach it in the same way with care and respect!
Antony Sigalas
Psychotherapist for the Alpha Care Counselling Services
Tel: 020 8373 628
