Mental health has been an important topic, though not until recently acknowledged, with mental health programs beginning in schools in the 1980s, only expanding from there by creating online courses and help hotlines easily accessible to students in more recent years. We’ve specifically seen a rise in attention to mental health in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with such an increase in mental health awareness, a question is brought up for me — where do we draw the line between awareness and overgeneralization? 

The overgeneralization of symptoms makes it hard to differentiate between natural anxieties and disorders. When you look up symptoms of an anxiety disorder online, almost all of the symptoms are nonspecific and can be applied to many other causes than anxiety disorder, such as being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating and/or sleep disturbance. When I looked up the symptoms in the DSM-5 — which is the handbook used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders and illnesses — I found the same thing. The DSM-5 is more specific than the web, but it is still pretty general. There needs to be more analysis that goes into individual situations and circumstances rather than checking items off a list. Whereas there are medications for both natural anxieties and disorders, the requirements to be able to prescribe both are the same, so the line between the two isn’t very distinct in the books. 

This all has led to overdiagnosis of mental health disorders. It has become very easy for people to get medications they might not necessarily need. It seems that when a patient comes in with a problem, the doctors follow a list of generalized criteria rather than the specifics of a situation. Primary care physicians also don’t have the ability to prescribe as many medications as psychiatrists do, but they are able to give prescriptions for some of the more common and basic medications. 

While I do think mental health awareness is extremely important in helping people with true disorders to recognize their symptoms and/or be comfortable enough to find help, it makes it that much harder for them to find that help because there is such a high demand for psychiatrists and psychologists. It also makes it seem less important because of the commonality factor. If everyone else is checking off these boxes, it is normal for you to be feeling this way, even when it is most definitely not. 

Awareness of mental health is essential, but we must be vigilant in the way that we spread this awareness and how we separate key determining factors in weight and urgency. 

Abby Breidenbach is a sophomore on the pre-law track with a law, criminal justice and society major and a minor in creative writing. She loves writing, reading, watching movies and passionately speaking about her loves and interests. If you’d like to chat, email Abby at [email protected].