Warning: Graphic and possibly triggering image below.
Did you know approximately one in five adults in the United States experience mental illness in a given year? According to the National Alliance of Mental Health, this is only one of the hundred of facts on mental health.
Mental illness is a topic that should never go overlooked. More and more children, teens and adults suffer from this disease every day.
This Halloween, Walmart has released a ‘Razor Blade Suicide Scar Wound Latex Costume Make Up’ to be sold in stores and online. When seeing this go viral through out the internet, I was appalled. The picture depicts someone with a bloody razor in one hand after self-harming their arm.
Amber McVaugh, president of Cabrini’s chapter of Active Minds, is one of the many mental health supporters standing up against this issue. “My first initial reaction was disbelief. The image itself is very triggering to those who have experienced self-harm,” McVaugh said.
According to the website, the product was nearly sold out. Why would someone want to buy a product like this? Many people have commented and shared their opinions on this issue, causing a whole lot of commotion between the company and its buyers. “Stigma is a really big issue when it comes to mental health,” McVaugh said. “Seeing something where they are using suicide use in such a manner kind of stigmatizes it in a way where they are making a joke about it.”
“Stigmatizing. Insensitive. Degrading. Traumatizing for those who have recovered or are recovering from self-harm. Detrimental to suicide survivors,” Mc Vaugh said.
Coming from a the eyes of a self-harm and suicide survivor, I could not agree more.
During my sophomo
re year of high school, I saw myself in a way that others would never understand. Every day I looked in the mirror and absolutely hated everything I saw. I degraded myself to the point where I had no emotions. Getting up every day was a struggle. I did not want to be around my friends, I did poorly in school and I did something I never thought I would… I took a razor blade to my own skin.
At the time it seemed painless, I felt nothing at all. It was not until later that I realized with every mark I made on my skin, it made me feel something again. Something that I could not escape. To me, at that moment in time, nothing felt more thrilling than watching cuts appear and scars form on my skin.
Trapped inside my own mind, self-harming was like a drug to me. If I was not actually doing it, I was thinking of different ways I could feel some sort of pain. As time went by, my behavior became worse and I was ready to end my life. I had goodbye letters written and I was truly ready to leave this earth. If it was not for a good friend at the time, I would have been gone. But I was saved.
I was checked into Germantown Crisis Center for evaluation. It was the scariest moment of my life. I was strip searched for any sharp objects and forced to wait in a waiting room where I was only allowed to have one person stay with me. Security was everywhere and the workers were not that nice. I spent hours there until a doctor finally came to evaluate me. I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety.
They were ready to ship me off to another mental institution that night. I could not process what was going through my head. After pleading and pleading, it was my parent’s decision to not admit me and I was able to go home later that night.
Looking back at the decision the doctors made, I should have been in there for weeks. I was in such a dark place that I never wanted to come out. I should have been medicated but I was not. I should have honestly been dead, but I was not. I then started out patient therapy and continued with my sessions until improvement was made.
I am currently in recovery. Every day is a new one. So, seeing a store release a makeup kit that brings back so much pain and bad memories is something I cannot even begin to explain. Mental illness is never something that should go overlooked. Everyone is struggling in one way or another and this topic is one thing that should not be mocked.
Great article. I was in that dark space. I was in that room with not so nice people. I was scared and alone. I’m glad I stayed and learned about myself. It’s been a long road! The best thing I learned was to try to see the good in whatever situation you are in. The beauty in an unexpected detour. I’m glad to say that now I want to live forever, which presents a whole different set of problems. lol As for the makeup thing, I agree mental illness should never be mocked and they should stop making this. I’m sure there are plenty of other gruesome makeup kits to choose from that don’t exploit and stigmatize.