"This is a conversation we must have given its prevalence among our family members, colleagues or friends, especially during this time of the pandemic."
A poster for a local movie has caused a stir on social media. The poster for “Tililing” depicts six individuals with their tongues sticking out; on their faces are wacky expressions.
The movie has been described as having a mix of horror, comedy, drama – and craziness. “Tililing,” according to the movie’s director, is a Filipino term for someone who is not sane.
Mental health advocates slammed the stereotypes used in the poster and said mental illness is a serious issue. In response, the group Anxiety and Depression Support Philippines released its own poster of six individuals wearing everyday expressions that show anybody among us could be suffering from mental health issues without looking odd or ridiculous. Some of those suffering from mental health issues are fully functional in other aspects of their lives and could maintain an exterior of calm and productivity.
Indeed, mental health has many faces.
The group’s representative, clarifying that they were reacting to just the poster and not the movie which has not yet been shown, said people might get the impression that those with mental health issues look or act ridiculous. That wrong impression may last a long time, because not everybody will make the effort to read up or find out more about the issue.
In recent years, there have been efforts to remove the stigma on mental illness: It is a medical condition that can be addressed through medication and therapy, and the condition is in no way the fault or choice of the person, or the consequences of his or her prior life decisions.
Younger individuals could be deemed more aware of the stigma because social media have tried to put the issue into the mainstream. Meanwhile, those who think of mental health illness as a state of “being looney” or “having loose screws” or being “plain crazy” may just be products of their time – an age when there was no awareness, much less understanding, of the workings of the mind. Still, this does not absolve them from the obligation, to inform themselves, challenge their preconceptions, and be mindful of their words and actions.
So what does mental illness look like? Nothing, because each case and each experience is unique. Anything, because one cannot tell from appearances who is dealing with it or not. Mental health is neither a pleasant nor easy topic to discuss. But it is a conversation we must have given its prevalence among our family members, colleagues or friends, especially during this time of the pandemic. It’s neither drama nor comedy, but pure science – and more than that, human compassion.