I am sick of celebrities preaching about reducing the stigma of mental illness. Contrary to the mainstream view, there’s more complexity to mental illness than the mere reduction of social stigma. Yet, we hear this half-baked narrative from sports stars and celebrities alike. But in a culture that worships every word and deed of celebrity, it is fitting, and the irony of the situation is not lost. Celebrities don’t know what they are talking about, nor should society overvalue their uninformed opinion.
Every day, there’s a new ex football player or sports star who is preaching about the importance of speaking up while ignoring the myriad of factors that prevent people from seeking assistance for mental health. Although everyone has the right to express their opinions as freely as they wish, that doesn’t mean they should, nor does it mean their opinions should be validated.
Ex players like Rio Ferdinand adopt the messiah complex they so desperately seek to preach.
Speaking to the BBC, Ferdinand said, “ Speak up if you’re struggling. You can be looked at as superheroes.For little Johnny from Belfast to see someone they look up to speak out and say they do feel vulnerable—for him to hear that enables him to speak up and not shoulder responsibility.”
People should seek help for mental health issues, but not because self aggrandizing celebrities issue an edict to do so. I would argue that if little Johnny from Belfast can only speak because his football ‘hero’ encourages it, our society seriously needs to question the motivations behind some of its underlying actions.
The view that celebrities should spearhead the mental health awareness crisis is ingrained in our social consciousness. The Mens Line Australia wrote an article entitled ‘Celebrities leading the charge on men’s mental health awareness’. The article argues:
“Times are changing for the better when it comes to men’s attitudes to mental health.
More and more guys are changing attitudes to looking after their ‘head stuff’ and we have some of the biggest male celebrities in the world to thank for their role in bringing the conversation to the fore.
There’s been quite a deluge of guys coming forward, so there’s sure to be some we’ve missed! We’ve included some links so you can check out their stories when you have a moment.
The old stereotypes are being smashed, with more guys becoming comfortable opening up. It’s a major cultural shift. These celebs are creating a ‘new normal’ where honesty and vulnerability are increasingly being seen as part of the ‘male experience’.
When a celebrity shares his or her story about battles with mental health, the stigma and shame that has for so long thwarted efforts to keep men safe unravel a bit.”
It then lists a long line of celebrities and athletes whose own personal stories of mental health struggles ‘help remove’ stigma around mental illness.
It’s not all about stigma.
The reasons why people don’t seek help are complex. Studies suggest that globally, 70% of people do not receive help for mental health issues, and the reasons why are multifactorial. Although figures like Ferdinand see themselves as heroic agents of change and organisations like the Men’s Line lionise such figures, the reasons why people don’t seek mental health treatment transcend the issue of social stigma.
One reason is a lack of insight. The term refers to a lack of self-awareness a sufferer has regarding his or her condition. In mental disorders like schizophrenia, sufferers tend to be completely unaware of the reality of the disorder they are suffering from. Studies have shown that between 50-90% of people who suffer from schizophrenia suffer from a lack of insight, and 40% of those with bipolar disorder also suffer from a lack of insight.
Another reason is cost. Treatment for mental health disorders can be notoriously expensive. Speaking to the ABC, mental health sufferer, Sarah Bryan stated, “Worrying about money is not something you want to deal with when dealing with your mental health.”
The ABC article reported, “Bryan withdrew $20,000 from her superannuation account to pay for her mental healthcare costs and living expenses.”
Bryan explained,”Prior to that, I was using my credit card to survive. I had about $4,000 of credit card debt”.
The Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system found that people with mental illness typically had a low income.
Society needs to take stock. For one, it needs to stop idolising athletes and sports stars. People should not seek help because their favourite sports star deems it appropriate to do so. They ought to seek help for the sake of seeking help to alleviate their own mental anguish. Second, we need to recognise that the answer to addressing the ‘mental health crisis’ as some have described it, is not simply by ‘spreading awareness’, no one, and certainly not a retired footballer, understands the solution to a highly complex problem.
In the absence of a celebrity telling us to seek mental health help, does that mean we would suffer from the torment of mental illness if it weren’t for our celebrity saviours?
Standup comedian Dave Chapelle captured it best. In one of his most memorable acts, he said, “stop worshipping celebrities so much. I remember right around September 11th, Ja Rule was on MTV, they said,’ We got Ja Rule on the phone, lets see what he thinks about this tragedy’,’ I dont give a **** what Ja Rule thinks at a time like this?”
