I was aghast when I saw the headline “This insane asylum themed haunted house near Vancouver will give you nightmares” on Vancouver Is Awesome recently. I thought we were past this, Vancouver.
My shock quickly turned to dismay when I realized that many people in our community still don’t realize that an ‘insane asylum’ themed haunted house is incredibly disrespectful and stigmatizing towards people living with mental illness.
Newsflash: mental illness (like any other illness) is not “spooky,” “creepy,” “funny,” or a form of entertainment.
Okay, so you didn’t know (or you didn’t think). Thanks for the opportunity to share some information and ideas (or remind you) about why costuming like a “schizo” or “psycho” is just not appropriate, now or ever:
People living with a mental illness deserve the same respect, compassion and understanding that we afford to people living with other illnesses.
Would you celebrate a ‘cancer ward’ themed haunted house? I’m guessing you would find that inappropriate and insensitive. But mental health is health, so why would it be okay to exploit mental health facilities for entertainment purposes? Answer: it’s not.
According to the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world’s leading research centres in its field), “one of the biggest issues in our health care system – and society at large – is that mental health is not taken as seriously, and treated as urgently, as physical health.” This leads to a lack of critical funding for treatment; for example, an estimated 68,000 youth between the ages of 15 and 24 meet the criteria for a substance use disorder, yet BC has only 24 publicly funded treatment beds to serve our youth.
Halloween costumes that evoke mental illness enforce the stigma that individuals living with mental illness should be feared.
We often fear what we do not understand, but ignorance is much scarier. Education is the antidote, and thankfully, there are many resources available with helpful information for those interested in learning. For example, you might be surprised to learn that in BC, mental illness will affect one in 5 people; by the time we reach 40 years of age, half of us will have had or will develop a mental health problem.
This means that “normal” people living with mental health issues are all around us, living “successful” lives (whatever those terms mean). If you don’t know someone close to you with lived or living experience of a mental illness, maybe ask yourself whether your attitude about mental illness is scaring some of your loved ones off, and start a conversation about it.
Costumes that associate “mental patients” as “haunted” or “eerie” perpetuate the stereotype that people with mental health issues are morally culpable for their condition and its consequences.
This is another inaccurate and dangerous stereotype, but mental illness is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors; for example, nearly two-thirds of drug-injection use can be tied to abuse and traumatic childhood events.
Judgment about mental illness (whether directly or indirectly) exacerbates the issue. The concept of non-judgment and mindfulness in mental health recovery is gaining significant traction; for example, mindfulness is a component of BC’s Here to Help Wellness Modules and BounceBack programs.
Exhibits that characterize mental health facilities as “creepy” or “spooky” discourage people from seeking and receiving much-needed treatment.
Now here’s a chilling statistic: there are many treatments available for mental illness, and full recovery is often possible, yet 60% of people with a mental health problem or illness won’t seek help for fear of being labeled. Although awareness, discussion and understanding of mental wellness is improving, this stat underscores the critical work that remains to be done.
“Insane asylum” isn’t really a thing anymore.
Language is important in reducing stigma, and it is best to be accurate about terminology, diagnoses and symptoms. The term “insane” is no longer used in psychiatry. Given that mental health facilities are often populated with vulnerable people courageously seeking and accepting help during what is likely the most challenging time in their lives, the word “asylum” (meaning a place of retreat, security, or refuge) aptly emphasizes the type of protective sanctuary that ought to be afforded to those focusing on their wellness; however, the term mental health or psychiatric hospital or facility is more accurate.
In my view, “insane asylum” has negative connotations, conjuring up images of outdated and poor treatment of patients. But mental health research and science has come a long way since One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and referencing old-timey, unethical practices towards ill people for entertainment purposes sets the clock way back on these advancements.
The symptoms of mental illness are often worsened by the social exclusion perpetuated by inaccurate stereotypes.
The new CMHA Report on the Social Determinants of Mental Health, which examines the ways that crucial BC services like social housing, social assistance and employment supports can support or undermine the human rights and wellness of those living with mental health or substance use-related health issues, highlights the key factor of inclusion in supporting those experiencing mental health issues to live their best lives:
If a person has friends and healthy relationships, feels they are a part of a community and can meet their basic needs, they are less likely to experience anxiety, depression or problematic substance use. People in recovery who are living with mental illness or addiction are deeply impacted by barriers they face getting and keeping the resources and relationships they need to feel included. In other words, social inclusion and the factors that either promote it or deny it are important to having an equal chance at mental wellness.
In my view, excluding people for “fun” diminishes a deep sense of belonging, for both the subject and the maker of said “fun.” It’s like any other compulsive behaviour: in the short term, it relieves the pressure of an otherwise unmet need; in the long term, it perpetuates an unsustainable cycle that usually causes more discomfort than it relieves. Where possible, it is more satisfying to investigate and treat the underlying need.
Perpetuating harmful stereotypes costs us all money.
If nothing above convinced you not to exploit mental illness for entertainment purposes, here’s the business case. According to the CMHA,
Right now, we are paying for mental illness in the most expensive way possible because we are waiting too long to provide access to treatment and services. We are waiting until the point of crisis. That means too many hospital stays, and jail instead of the right treatment. In 2010, the government of British Columbia estimated that mental health problems cost our economy an estimated $6.6 billion annually.
Consistent with this, the fact that the “insane asylum” article ran next to this article highlighting Homelessness Action Week and reporting that homelessness (which often co-exists with mental illness) is at an all-time high in Vancouver, is fitting.
Lack of education and insight contributes to stigma, which in turn fuels the crisis-level lack of resources for those living with mental illness in our city. Reacting to crises costs us much more than does proactively responding to health issues.
So this Halloween, afford yourself and your community asylum from stigma and ignorance by choosing not to celebrate outdated and harmful stereotypes about mental health. We all benefit from the security of robust, adequately-funded mental and physical health care; informed, thoughtful behavior affecting mental health issues; and compassion that threads together our community quilt.
- Megan Nicholls
