So the other day I heard some girls in my seminar talking. One was complaining about how she never comes to lecture because she’s too lazy to and how she wants the notes though and she was trying to figure out how to get them because our professor doesn’t upload them. They went through multiple ways to get them when one suggested you can just say you have anxiety and then the school will get you notes from another student in the class. The other one enthusiastically agreed that faking anxiety was the best way to get away with stuff.
Here’s the problem I have with this apart from the obvious ethical ones. As someone who actually does suffer from anxiety I hear negative comments about it all the time- about how it’s not real, we’re just faking it to get out of doing stuff, we’re just lazy. And I along with a huge number of people who suffer from mental health problems go out of our way to break this stigma and then people like this come along and just reinforce the stereotype that we’re just lazy and trying to get out of doing stuff.
I always go for that class even when it takes actual energy to even get out of bed. I always hand in my assignments on time even though it’s like getting kicked in the stomach for my mental health. I always go out of my way to try to be as “normal” as possible without letting my mental health problems get in the way of my education.
It just seriously pissed me off to see these girls treating mental health problems like this because it’s people like this who are ruining it for people who actually do have mental health problems and who actually do need extra assistance.
If you’re reading this and are thinking of using mental health problems as an excuse I’m asking you to please rethink it. It’s not just an easy way out- your actions are effecting millions of people who are suffering and trying so hard to break free from stereotypes about mental health.
Sorry for the rant but this incident just really pissed me off and I needed to share it with someone.
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