The Unfairness of False Diagnosis
One thing that is commonly accepted about mental health issues is that they can bring different reactions from the same person depending on who is admitting to one. In fact, the use of the word “admit” is telling here – in what other sphere would a health problem be something to "admit” to, as though it were a guilty secret?
It is common for a celebrity, for example, to talk in an interview about how their life is blighted by depression or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. They will then go on to talk about a week-long period some months back when they felt quite down in the aftermath of a break-up, or a tendency to always have things neat and tidy in their house. They will then be commended on their bravery and hailed as a hero to sufferers – proof that these conditions are not debilitating.
Depression is not merely feeling low after a break-up, and OCD is not simply an urge to keep things neat. They go a lot deeper than that, but when the person who suffers from them – really suffers, as opposed to just having a bad day or a clean house – is an average person, their condition is not taken as seriously. This is deeply unfair because it is these very people who need to be listened to. They may not have written an Emmy-award winning album, they might simply work in an office somewhere. But these are the people with the real story to tell, the one that needs to be heard.