I was talking with a friend of mine about the Emmy Awards and how Autistic Spectrum Disorders have been getting a lot of attention, what with Sheldon from Big Bang Theory and the Temple Grandin movie (which is really excellent, btw). Autism is the “pop diagnosis” of the moment, just as Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) was the “pop diagnosis” of the 90s. I don’t mean to downplay Autism any (hell, I’m huge on Asperger awareness), just saying that it happens to be getting increased attention at the moment because it’s the hot topic in psychology.

But WHY is Autism the “pop diagnosis” of the moment? Why- when so many more people suffer from depression or eating disorders? My friend responded: “Because no one ever wants to talk about EDs…and depression doesn’t make for good TV.” Maybe she’s latched on to something there. I can’t really imagine a TV sitcom based on a character with depression (though somehow Autism and OCD are acceptable disorders to poke fun at?).

And Eating Disorders. Can you think of a well-known movie with well-known actors that focuses on Eating Disorders? No, really. Give it some thought. If you can think of one, post it as a reply. Or reblog it. Or tell me in my ask box. Because I’m honestly curious.

All the movies I can think of dealing with EDs are cheesy lifetime movies. And episodes of Degrassi. And while those Degrassi episodes on EDs are pretty fantastic and educational, not everyone watches the show. 

And speaking of not wanting to talk about things, the friend I was talking to? Yeah, she has an eating disorder. But not according to the DSM-IV-TR (the “bible” of psychology). No, because according to the DSM she’s “too fat” to have anorexia. But that doesn’t stop her from taking in significantly less calories than are healthy for someone her height and weight. That doesn’t stop the crushing guilt she feels every time she eats something with even one gram of fat. That doesn’t stop her from wanting surgery to get rid of her “fat”. That doesn’t stop her from feeling devalued and depressed because society judges her based on her weight and not on her wonderful personality. She’s beautiful- inside and out.

While I love discussing Autism, we also need to discuss the less talked about mental health issues. We NEED to talk about depression. We NEED to talk about eating disorders. Not talking about them just increases the risk of suicide for people who feel they don’t have a place in society because no one talks about the way they’re feeling.

Don’t let society get you down just because YOUR mental health issue isn’t “popular.”

You’re all beautiful. <3