Stop using mental health as an insult
James Talarico, the Democrat running for U.S. Senate, was absent from public view for close to two weeks. Republicans created a rumor that he had been a patient at a mental health facility in Ohio. Every single person should be outraged by these claims, not only because they are a lie, but because these claims derogate everyone who has ever had an emotional struggle.
The Ohio agency confirmed that Talarico never had been a patient there, but so what if he had? Why do we accept the notion that seeking help for emotional distress is in any way bad and discredits you from public office? Knowing when you feel overworked, anxiety-ridden, and on the edge shows self-awareness, and asking for help in these instances shows courage in a world that disparages those with emotional struggles. Perhaps if we stopped belittling those who seek help, there would be fewer young people in emotional distress. No wonder we have so many veteran suicides: The politicians who sent them to war are belittling anyone who needs help. What message does that send?
Perhaps if our sex-offending politicians would change the way they think about mental health crises, they would get brave enough to ask for help overcoming their sex addictions.
Who are the ones unfit for office: The ones who know when to ask for help, or those who are willing to lie and hurt others to get whatever they want? And why are we not more outraged that people use seeking mental health support as an insult?