The Burden of Mental Illness
In this series, the main character, King George, truly lived a double life. He did the best he could to conceal his mental illness. Many who experience mental illness fear being a burden to their friends and families. It’s really common for people to start to isolate themselves. To withdraw. They stop coming around. They may stay to themselves. They may stop calling, picking up the phone, or not texting you back when you’re going through a mental health crisis. It can be an exhausting experience. Getting to a space where you can no longer push through and pretend to be okay.
I’m so glad that the series highlighted that a big reason the characters were keeping George’s mental health a secret was because of his status. They were concerned about the king, putting his royal role in Jeopardy, and that’s very similar to what is happening today. Whereas a lot of people will not pursue getting help. Even though they know they haven’t been themselves for a while, they will not pursue getting help because they have an important role. Or They are too well-known or have a prestigious job. They are worried about what will happen if this leak out. You can have the highest office roles in government, corporations, etc., and still struggle with mental illness. Just as it impacts everyone in every role, we all now can overcome these challenges privately but in a way not only thrive at work but at home too. Taking care of your mental health is not a sign of weakness but great strength. Just like we go to the doctor to check our heart health, we now know it is okay also to check our brain health. I was appreciative that they’ve shown these different layers of mental health stigma.
Photo Credit: By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73381663
Written By: Natasha D. Oates, Award-Winning Therapist & Relationship Coach
