Anxiety and mental health stigma

In this notice, the author talks about the stereotypes that surround the mental disorders` issue in our society, focusing specially in the stress and anxiety related disorders, which can be defined as a maladaptive pattern of feeling this emotion in situations in which this emotion is not needed. Anxiety –say the author- is an emotion that has been shaped through evolution to letting us respond efficiently when we percieve dangerous stimulus, so we can execute appropiate responses. The problem begins when this response is activated in situations that is not needed, disturbing the person and impeding him from enjoying other aspects in life.

"mental patient fancy dress costume"

These kind of disorders are, according to statistics, more common that we may think. The numbers say that about 25% of people will experience in one year some kind of mental disorder, and the numbers related to anxiety disorders specifically  reach the 10% in England.

Also, the column talks about the neuroscience behind this problems, exposing the way in which some particular encephalic structures are activated when people experience anxiety and that kind of stuff. But the main purpose of the author lies in the critique that he makes about the way in which our society see the mental disoders, and the disastrous consequenses that this has to the same people. For example, a few days ago, some shop started to sell a mental-ill custom for the halloween holydays, reproducing the stereotypes and prejudices surrounding these people. The scandal was so big, that the shop had to apologize in their Twitter and even made a donation to a mental-disorders organization. The custom was called “mental patient fancy dress costume” and it was on sale for 20 euros. 

The link: http://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/sep/27/neuroscience-psychology