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IELTS Topic: HEALTH
Reading 3
Psychological sickness: debunking some myths
Original source: WHO, Rooted in Rights, The Guardian,
The Guardian
Is mental illness real?
When people ask whether mental illness is real or not, my suspicion is that they really mean: does mental illness have a physical, material cause, in the same way as cancer or a broken leg? Can it be tested for, diagnosed and treated with the same certainty as a physical disease? Whatever the answer to that question, it should cast no doubts or aspersions on the very real suffering of people with mental health problems.
Jay Watts
Mental illness is an awful thing
Mental illness is not fun, it does not improve a life, it does not come with secret benefits. It is monstrously awful and frequently incurable. People – even nurses, even pharmacists, even doctors – will doubt you. They will say you seem fine, that you don’t look depressed. You will believe them. You will think, I did smile the other day when I saw a puppy dancing. I can’t be depressed. I must be a fraud. I am taking up too much space. I am wasting people’s time.
Anna Spargo-Ryan
Anxiety is a terrible condition made even worse by people doubting that you are sick at all.
Source: Billion Photos/Shutterstock
Depression: a major cause of disability
Depression is a common mental disorder worldwide affecting more than 264 million people of all ages. It is a leading cause of disability and a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.
World Health Organisation
Stop assuming I’m not disabled
Unfortunately, so much of our society is focused on appearance. You have to look the part, and if you don’t, then you can’t possibly be what you claim to be. If you’re overweight, there’s no way you can be a dancer. If you are heavily tattooed, you can’t be a lawyer. If you have disfiguring scars, you can’t be a model. While all of these myths have been debunked, there is one that hangs on with tenacity. If you don’t look disabled, you’re obviously not disabled.
Rachel Carrington