When Wes Nolen thinks of his childhood, he describes it as \u201ccultish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nolen grew up in what he called a \u201cSouthern Baptist religious cult\u201d in Tennessee. As a kid, he learned early on that he was different, but didn\u2019t know why. In retrospect, the hints were there; Nolen clearly remembers fixating on a piece of metal from his grandfather\u2019s CB radio.<\/p>\n
At 37, he knows now what he didn\u2019t know then: he suffers from attention deficit hyperactive disorder, or ADHD. According to the CDC, 9.8% of U.S. children have ADHD. However, being a child of the 1980s, Nolen said he was not made aware of ADHD or neurodiversity in general. Mental health just wasn\u2019t something that was talked about regularly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have severe ADHD and dyslexia, so I\u2019m naturally curious by nature, so what they thought as rebellious and disrespectful was just my natural disposition,\u201d Nolen said.<\/p>\n
His family\u2019s \u201cfaith and their religion taught them to \u2018not spare the rod,\u201d he said, \u201cso I got the hell beat out of me and got severe PTSD because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The stigma in mental health deriving from religion, race and class leads to problems that in turn, create expectations and shame. Because of this, those alienated from their own community and minorities have more obstacles to overcome to get help. This leads to long overdue evaluations of one\u2019s own mental health for their own self-fulfillment.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until he had a panic attack in 2022 \u2013 as the COVID-19 pandemic continued into its third year \u2013 that he spoke to a psychologist and learned he has ADHD. What could have been an earlier discovery, turned out to be a life of confusion.<\/p>\n
While more people are comfortable talking about mental health today than years past, there are still some realms where it remains taboo.<\/p>\n
\u201cNationwide, the stigma has decreased but it still exists, there are still some hardcore pockets driven by politics and by religion that says therapy is fake, it\u2019s a liberal scheme, it doesn\u2019t work,\u201d said Karl Laves, associate director at the Western Kentucky University Counseling Center.<\/p>\n
The freedom to openly discuss mental health varies across class, race and religion. For example, Heekyung Ko, a licensed therapist from South Korea who is now based in Austin, Texas, said cultural differences are relevant when it comes to talking about mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was definitely a stigma surrounding mental health in Korea. If you even talked about mental health they automatically connected it to being crazy and thought you were crazy,\u201d Ko said, before noting the situation is improving.<\/p>\n
People being called \u201ccrazy\u201d or excluded due class and culture demotivates individuals to seek out professional help, Ko said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHigher status people back then tried to hide it because mental illness was perceived as lower class, and it carried on generationally. It is systemic prejudice,\u201d Ko said.<\/p>\n
Self-consciousness is a prevalent feeling among people who want or need to fit in the social ladder.<\/p>\n
Lisa Smith, an African American woman who\u2019s a licensed therapist in Tennessee, said class contributes to cultural differences in dealing with mental health issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter being in the field and growing up in that middle class, sheltered household, it\u2019s a very tough group to be around,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s really tough on a person to be fake and not be your actual, authentic self.\u201d<\/p>\n
A factor that people encounter is the idea of not being wanted or possible alienation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou become the black sheep and nobody wants to deal with you,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
The financial burden can also hold people back from pursuing psychological help from professionals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are small pockets in our society of affluent people that tend to have counselors to be their professional friend,\u201d Laves said. \u201cAnd the reason that makes me edgy is because I work with a lot of people who can\u2019t afford counseling or can\u2019t get counseling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe assume, as we should, children are wanted, parents want their children, love their children, have patience, and the sad truth is not all parents do,\u201d Laves said. \u201cIt\u2019s not the kid\u2019s fault. Sometimes it\u2019s not even the parent\u2019s fault; they didn\u2019t get it from their parents, so they couldn\u2019t give it to their kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
In hopes of teenagers living fulfilled lives, Ko encourages parents to always be open to conversations about mental health with their children.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important because that’s the way kids can be introduced to mental health and wellbeing to make them feel accepted and supported by parents,\u201d Ko said.<\/p>\n
In Nolen\u2019s case, that lack of support meant he went decades without answers. As an adult, he came to understand that getting help was OK.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust by talking about it and normalizing mental health,\u201d Nolen said, \u201cyou can save lives.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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