As someone who has a keen interest in mental health and all things psychological, I've been religiously watching Channel 4's 4 Goes Mad shows, aimed at tacking the stigma around mental health. 2 shows in particular have really spoken to me, and those were Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD and The World's Maddest Job Interview. Both of which provided a brilliant insight in what it's like to suffer from various mental health problems.
While I have been diagnosed with what seems minor compared what brave others live with (emetophobia and anxiety), in terms of my own mental health, I understand how sufferers of various mental illnesses feel when they're told things such as 'snap out of it' - a personal annoyance of mine. The only people who know that you possibly cannot snap out of an anxiety attack or a ritual are those who have experienced them. What people don't seem to realise is in terms of those 'irrational thoughts' people suffer with, we would like to snap out of it. But we can't.
Jon Richardson's documentary really got me thinking about some of my own behaviour, much of which I feel is related to my emetophobia. I have several fears about germs, particularly if there's bugs about, I have to keep rechecking things, like whether the taps are off or the door is locked, and (this is the first time I've spoken about this) I have a ritual before bed in terms of repeating several statements in my head and touching something wooden - these may be things I'm worried about, and I'll repeat what I would or wouldn't like to happen, or things that just make me feel that little bit safer. This behaviour annoys the hell out of me, and it's exhausting to do right before bed, just once I'd like to go to sleep without worrying as to whether I've done it, but my mind just picks on me. Another thing that I've recently disovered can be a sign of OCD is fearing harm to others, something which I do a lot now that I can drive. For example, I once parked in a side street when I went to uni, and had to turn the car around when I left. I did this at a little too much speed and ended up mounting the kerb at quite a bit of force, and even though I was looking in the back window and my mirrors, my mind kept asking me "there wasn't a child there or anything was there?" I feel kind of guilty talking about this, as I haven't even been diagnosed with OCD, and while these behaviours annoy me and do get in the way of things, it's nothing compared to what some of the brave people shown in Jon's documentary, particularly Gemma, who's fear of contamination was on the verge of ruining her relationship and had left her housebound, and Joyce, who lost her son through the illness. As I mentioned in my previous blog, a reason stopping me from seeing my GP about my tendencies is a fear of being mocked, or being told that I don't have it and wasting doctor's time, however, upon seeing this documentary it has made me think, maybe it is worth seeing about getting an assessment of some sort.
The World's Maddest Job Interview last night was also a powerful watch. Some of it made me feel angry, like the statistic that 1 in 5 people who've admitted to a mental health problem at work said it cost them their job, and one of the employers stating "I'd feel bad for them, but I wouldn't employ them" upon reading that one volunteer had spent time in a psychiatric hospital. My first thought was surely if someone makes a good impression, they appear to be good at what they do, and they have the relevant experience, why the hell should it matter if they have a mental illness? Whether they choose to disclose it or not, it shouldn't affect their employability.
The best part of this documentary was the final result: the top three most employable candidates had suffered with mental illnesses, and all three employers said that their views on mental health had been changed. I was absolutely inspired by the bravery of all the volunteers and how they spoke up about their conditions, and even more so, that they had managed to beat or control them. It also goes to show that just because someone has a mental health problem, it doesn't mean they're unemployable, and it doesn't mean they're a freak. I think Channel 4 has done a brilliant job of attempting to tackle the stigma around mental health and I think there should be more programming showing people what it's like to live with a mental health condition and that they are more than capable of living perfectly normal happy lives. I think more programming like this, and we could be well on the way to reducing the stigma that has surrounded the issue for so long, and more importantly, inspire those who are suffering in silence to get the help they need.
