Recently singer Lady Gaga opened up about her mental health battle; disclosing her struggle with PTSD caused by sexual abuse at the age of 19. Journalist Piers Morgan felt the need to respond to Gaga’s vulnerability via twitter, even going as far as to call it “vain- glorious nonsense” and tried to claim that PTSD is an illness which only affects soldiers. Lady Gaga flawlessly and intelligently informed her audience of the misconceptions which Morgan was encouraging, however, the conversation about mental health is one that needs to be discussed.
During WWI, PTSD was known as “shell shock”, and it was only known to affect soldiers. Even today, some studies estimate that “1 in 5 military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has PTSD”. However, around 70% of adults in the US have experienced some kind of traumatic event, and 20% of those people go on to develop PTSD. (Around 31.3 million people) A majority of people suffering from this disorder have never served anytime in the military.
Morgan’s accusation, about sexual abuse not linking to PTSD, is completely disproves once one looks at the facts that “71% of female military personnel develop PTSD due to sexual abuse within the ranks”. 71% of women risking their lives for their country, develop a mental illness due to SEXUAL ABUSE, yet Piers Morgan fails to recognise the traumatic effect any kind abuse can have on a person.
Sadly, Morgan’s ignorance continues to be prevalent in many people, since many are unaware of the magnitude of individuals affected by numerous mental illnesses. The first step that people should take towards becoming more educated on this topic, is simply researching different mental illnesses. Secondly, people should realize that the only people who have the right to determine a person’s mental state is the person themselves, or a licensed professional. To think that anyone can look at a random stranger, and determine how their mind works, is disrespectful and degrading to that person. They know how they feel, and to tell them they are wrong, will only do more damage than good.
Generalizations, such as the ones made by Piers Morgan, hold back any progress that has been made in mental health research. I encourage everyone to become enlightened about an issue that affects millions of people every day.
What do you think? Comment Below!
Websites used:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7624428/lady-gaga-piers-morgan-interview-rape-ptsd
In case you have a mental illness, and are seeking help:
