We all know that things usually aren't as they first seem. Whether that's down to actual misinterpretation or the tendency of things to change over time. Despite our general love for phrases, first impressions don't always count.
Friends, colleagues and places are just a few examples of things we can often initially misinterpret. It's easily done. However, are there some things that we never get right? Getting to know someone or something over time usually means we gain an understanding. For instance, let's take my best friend. We've been friends for over a decade, and I see her as more of a sister, really. There's a point you can come to, when you know someone so well, that you can not only recognise their thoughts and understand their actions, but you can see motives behind this, you can see fears and passions that they themselves might not have even realised. However, I think that there are some things that can never become that transparent.
I've known for a while that journalism isn't a career I'm overly fond of pursuing. However, one area of journalism I would love to delve into is health journalism. Specifically, mental health. I've learnt over the past three years of studying journalism that I'm not a great fan of the ideas and morals that drive a lot of it. Hidden agendas, PR, political spin and unreliable sources are a cocktail we're all too familiar with. Not to mention phone hacking.
However, mental health is one area in which I believe the power of journalism could be an opportunity to relieve sufferers and anyone else affected by mental health problems. I believe a lot more could be done to alleviate the myths, stigmas and stereotypes attached to mental health.
If you're wondering how these two trains of thought correlate... then I guess I'm an annoying writer.
Recently I have noticed that there seems to be a belief held whereby people suffering from mental health issues cannot be happy on the outside. This is by no means a reflection on anyone I've talked to recently, as I too would have once thought the same.
It seems, and I don't want to talk too generally, that some of us hold the belief that no one can have a mental health problem and appear to be happy. However, I believe that someone who's going through hell on the inside will try extra hard to make their smile be known, in the hope that it will seep through and sparkle on the inside. Someone with say, anxiety or depression, will not generally be unhappy. Depression is an unhappiness from much deeper within, and I don't believe that it would be something to necessarily show on someone's face. Neither would it be any more likely to hit an unhappy person in the first place. Admittedly, if I found out someone I know suffered from a mental illness, if it was otherwise unclear, I'd be a bit surprised. But I hope that over time, the media can help to reverse the views we have on mental health, that they have helped to make.
If I did end up in a journalism career, to make one person realise that a person has as much control over a mental illness as they would do a physical one, would make it worth the effort. So for now, I'll keep on smiling.
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