As we enter the twelfth month of a pandemic that necessitates social isolation, maintaining mental health gains saliency. Scrolling through different social media platforms, I consistently view messages that encourage users to check in on their friends, practice self-care, and share links to suicide hotlines all in the name of mental health. Despite their importance and well-intentioned sentiments, these social media efforts often overlook the intersectionality of police brutality, mass incarceration, and systemic racism on individuals with serious mental illness. In order to truly support individuals living with mental health disorders, widespread education and action must address reform regarding how the American criminal justice system interacts with individuals with mental health disorders.
I begin this E-zene by illustrating the process of uncovering society’s stigmatized ideas regarding individuals with mental illness and my own personal biases regarding mental health and mental health treatment. Exploring this E-zene, I hope that readers can recall the societal biases I identify and recognize their impact on individuals with mental illness. I firmly believe that recognition of personal bias (reflected by large scale societal bias) represents the first step in truly understanding and acting as an advocate for individuals suffering from mental health disorders. In 2020, a new wave of social justice activism specifically focused on criminal justice reform, accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. This movement cannot understate the necessity to highlight the stigmatization of individuals living with mental illness and demand reform of the current criminal justice system in 2021.