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The media never ceases to report of the "deranged violent mentally ill person" and the "crazy beast" that wields knives and guns and detonates bombs due (supposedly) to depression or some other mental illness. I find this to be one the lowest forms of human depravity. Mass media is a powerful tool, and like any other tool, it is subject to misuse and abuse. The media shapes and sometimes misleads its' readers and viewers in the name of ratings and sensationalism.

However, where is the media to loudly, clearly, and heavily report about the millions of individuals that silently suffer from a mental illness? We are often and angrily made out to be perpetrators of crimes, where in fact, we are more likely to be on the receiving end of a crime. Millions battle the frustrations of managing both a chronic disease and coping with stigmas thrust upon them due to misinformation, callousness, and media sensationalism. I have lost count of the number of newspaper articles and national news stories that report of violence and then casually mention as a last part of the story, that the perpetrator was known to seek treatment for depression or schizophrenia, or some other form of mental illness. To make matters worse, the story is not reported once, but twice-then a third time. It gets "better." The story will become the story of the week, leaving myself and other consumers feeling bombarded by ignorance. Just when I think my nightmare (and yes, it does feel nightmarish) is over, they complete that feature just in time to cover the story about someone who has shot and killed numerous employees at a company where they once worked. Then I brace myself for the impending doom of hearing: "Mr. Smith was known to be in treatment for depression."

What concerns me is that viewers who do not understand mental illness will watch this and make a casual connection between mental illness and violence. This does nothing but aid in perpetuating already existing stigmas about mental illness. Also, those wanting to seek treatment for mental illness remain silent, which can be dangerous, not for the community, but for the ill person needing medical attention. It can lead to unwanted suffering and death. Death! Little credence is given to the fact that a mental illness if left untreated and if it becomes serious enough can lead to suicide.

So, every time I see or read one of these stories, I get angry because I don't feel it makes my life more difficult; it makes life difficult, period! Why? I have bipolar disorder. While I have made the choice to be open about it, I can VERY easily understand why many who have a mental illness don't. Why submit yourself to the constant beating of discrimination, the risk of losing your job, and the alienation from loved ones. Why risk having violence directed toward you? Some may think or suggest it best to keep quiet. However, if someone is managing heart disease or diabetes they are not forced into silence by way of ridicule about the day-to-day stresses of managing their condition. For me and others like me, the expectation is to remain silent. Silence is not okay. To remain silent, compounds stress. To remain silent, means not receiving medical attention. To remain silent, means society can pretend we do not exist.