The Elephant in the Room: Mental Health and Privilege.
If you think that any of the language or terminologies used in this post are problematic then please let me know. I have talked about the aspects of my life I feel qualified to discuss; this is not to erase the other aspects of privilege or inequality that exists, I simply feel that it's my duty to acknowledge the privilege I benefit from but not my place to speak on matters I haven't experienced first hand. If you would like to guest post about any of the themes mentioned in this post then don't hesitate to email me at onemorelightlb2@outlook.com.
It's that word that divides like no other but seems inescapable: "privilege".
The word has a bad reputation, despite not meaning what you might initially assume. The term "privilege" seems to many to be entirely synonymous with people in lavish mansions living a wonderful life, who holiday abroad frequently and reside in a high tax bracket.
But that's not what we mean when we talk about societal privilege.
I have lots of privilege; I'm straight, I'm cisgender, I'm not disabled or chronically ill, and I'm white Scottish living in Scotland.
None of these things have stopped my mental illness or made my life "easy", but it has allowed me to navigate society without these aspects fundamentally impacting me or causing me concern in some way. I've never had to hide a romantic relationship in public for fear of abuse. I've never had my identity denied or had to fight to simply exist as myself. I've never found a building or event inaccessible or had to pre-plan how to make sure I can access something other people take for granted. I've never been harassed or had assumptions made about me because of the colour of my skin or my ethnic background.
However I'm also female and working class, both of which have presented challenges in my life. The men in my life don't experience minor panic when they hear footsteps behind them, they don't understand why we phone them describing our location and ETA for coming home in loud, carrying voices or why we rigidly adhere to pre-booked taxis on nights out. Their world is one entirely different to mine, despite running parallel to it.
Despite having a relatively financially stable childhood, being working class has presented its own set of issues; I sometimes have to justify to people in a professional setting why I'm just as - sometimes more - qualified or deserving to be in a position like them. I've heard sneering comments about council houses from people too scared to go near one, and I've heard the differences in work ethic and attitudes towards employment between those brought up working clsss and those brought up middle class. There is a lack of working class voices in art, media, and politics because we are less likely to feel able to gamble with our income, access costly training or networking events, or promote ourselves. We need stable jobs and have always been taught so, even if we did have a financial safety net to catch us. As a result we are wholly under-represented in politics and the media (save perhaps for the aptly termed "poverty porn" programmes that ridicule more than give a voice to those on display).
These privileges of birth absolutely do not protect from mental illness, and I want to make that clear. Anyone can be - and are - affected by mental ill health and it doesn't matter if they're male or female, rich or poor.
What does change however, is the environment we are in and how attitudes to our mental health shape our experience depending on these privileges. These differences are why I am keen to promote a series of guest blogs as part of my Intersectional Advocacy series, to discuss how these differences in experience impact our mental health or recovery.
For instance, women are often seen as being "hysterical" or "over-dramatic" or of being too emotional or 'attention seeking", whilst men are told to "man up", "toughen up" and are denigrated for showing emotion. Accessing support and treatment for mental ill health can be hindered by these attitudes.
When considering social class or income in terms of recovery from mental ill health, someone middle class may have the financial stability and family support network to take time off of work to recover, or to access private professional care and these are options that often aren't available to working class people. The attitudes surrounding working class people and employment are also very different. A working class person taking time off work might be "lazy" or "feckless", whilst a middle class individual might be met with more support. These attitudes are often both external and internalized within the individual and they're difficult to get out of; quite often they shape how we are viewed and how we view ourselves.
Social class is not soley defined by income, it literally shapes our attitudes and view of the world and consequently how we navigate it, but financial situations do play a massive role in mental health. Worrying about money and job security are of course linked to stress, and those who experience impulsive spending may be more acutely harmed by debt if they're already experiencing financial hardship. Although "working class" certainly isn't synonymous with "poor", we are often far less likely to have the disposable income our middle class friends have, and are more likely to experience finance-related stress. In addition, jobs that centre around irregular hours and shift patterns are often taken up by working class people that makes keeping routine appointments difficult. Working class people are also less likely to have access to personal mode of transport like a car, which makes travelling for appointments more difficult and sometimes, expensive.
That's why it's important to talk about privilege within discussions of mental health. It's not about minimising what so-called "privileged" people go through, but about addressing the added layers of barriers or difficulties that someone may experience because of aspects in their life. The complexity of the human experience is amazing and we should listen to people from a variety of backgrounds to see the picture that extends far beyond our bubble, and that includes experiences within the context of mental health.
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If you are struggling right now and feel like you need to talk to someone, The Samaritans can be reached at 116 123.
Interested in more content related to mental health? Click here to view more posts on this blog about mental health.
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