TW: mentions of suicide. Use of ableist language.
You know the internet - it's the faithful provider of all the cat videos and memes you could ever wish for in a lifetime, and also the relentless breeding ground for infinite human ignorance and general gross-ness.
You know the internet - it's the faithful provider of all the cat videos and memes you could ever wish for in a lifetime, and also the relentless breeding ground for infinite human ignorance and general gross-ness.
In the latest bout of internet ignorance, people took to Twitter to list all of the #SignsSomeoneIsPsycho. Like I said...gross.
Like those of us with mental illness don't face enough stigma for our symptoms and general existence, now the same people that earnestly tweet the numbers of suicide helplines after a celebrity death are happily tweeting all of the things that show someone is a "psycho". This varied from the more humorous entries like biting a kit-kat across all four sections, to the more serious entries and the outright targeted ones designed to mock mental illness and the term "triggered".
they're easily triggered when you call them psycho#SignsSomeoneIsPsycho pic.twitter.com/XvG5sYvZUC— ⊗ ⚕ ϻυƙυи∂ ⚕ ⊗ (@Mukund_The4th) July 21, 2019
The term "psycho" is stigmatising, it's reductive, and it does nothing but further isolate people with mental illnesses. Those of us that struggle with our mental health are more than just our symptoms, and more than a casual ableist throwaway term to be used for 60 seconds of amusement for bored people on Twitter. The worst thing about this term and the use of it this way is that it likens us to the colloquial use of the term "psychopaths" with the clear intent to imply that we are dangerous, remorseless, devoid in some way of "normal" human emotion, and it is used liberally to apply to anyone that displays symptoms of mental illness or what is considered "abnormal" behaviour.
Yeah, it's gross.
So, I decided that instead of this ignorant and stigmatising hashtag trending, we should get a different hashtag trending instead; one that could actually help people.
Instead of #SignsSomeoneIsPsycho trending (stigmatising, gross, ew) why not get #SignsSomeoneNeedsHelp trending?— L 🐾🦋⚘ (@OneMoreLightLB) July 21, 2019
- Change in appetite, lack of enjoyment in activities, withdrawal from relationships or social events, being more talkative/reserved #SignsSomeoneNeedsHelp
That is why I am inviting all of you - mental health blogger or not, to tweet about the signs that show someone is in need of help for their mental health. So often after a loss of life by suicide we ask about the "signs" leading up to their death, agonising over whether or not something could have been done, if someone could have helped.
The signs that someone needs help are often different between individuals, even if there is a shared commonality, and sometimes they aren't easily recognised. Sometimes a warning sign in one person is relatively normal for another, so it is important that we share as many different warning signs as we can so that people can better recognise the warning signs that someone is potentially struggling with their mental health. So far, you haven't disappointed me, with some great tweets out there on the Twittersphere:
#SignsSomeoneNeedsHelp— Wᴇ Aʀᴇ Tʜᴇ Cʜᴀɴɢᴇ (@FUCKDEPRESSIO13) July 22, 2019
What are the warning signs and risk factors for Teenagers? #SuicidePrevention #SuicideAwareness pic.twitter.com/yPZLDcNAft
TW #signssomeoneneedshelp— 🌦Tiffany Talks🌦 (@tiffany_talkss) July 22, 2019
- lack of interest in things they usually enjoy
- appear happier than usual (May of made a plan to end life)
- saying heartfelt goodbyes
- eating more or less than usual
- lack of self care and decline in appearance
- appearing numb/cold emotionally
(1/2) NOT #SignsSomeoneIsPsycho— Laila Castillo (@lailar_rc) July 21, 2019
INSTEAD: #SignsSomeoneNeedsHelp
- withdrawal from friends and family.
- Reckless, impulsive behaviour. (Drugs, drunk driving, unprotected sex, shopping addiction etc)
- Signs of extreme preoccupation with weight or body image #eatingdisorders
scattered/disorganized thinking, anhedonia symptoms, absenteeism #SignsSomeoneNeedsHelp ❤️ https://t.co/69EQTly5e7— Sarah Currie (@kawaiilovesarah) July 22, 2019
Whilst nobody should take professional guidance or medical advice from social media, the goal of mental health advocacy is generally to spread awareness, break stigma, and to promote better treatment (socially and medically) for people with mental illness, so I'm hoping that if all of us fire off enough tweets like this, people will take notice. Maybe we can make the general public think more about mental health, maybe we can encourage conversation and who knows, maybe we could even help someone that needs it.
Tweet #SignsSomeoneNeedsHelp
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If you are struggling right now and feel like you need to talk to someone, The Samaritans can be reached at 116 123.
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