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Breaking the taboo

Mental health has been a taboo subject for a long time, but why?
You wouldn’t hide a broken bone, due to the shame of having broken it, so why are people ashamed of having a mental illness, and why do people try to hide it? No matter if the issue is physical or mental, there is no reason to hide it, as there should be no shame behind it. Yet mental health is a taboo subject?
Society makes it hard for people suffering with mental illnesses to be open, as the world we live in just make people feel alone and full of shame. Over 2/3 of people suffering from mental illnesses have told someone that they feel isolated, worthless and ashamed, which is ridiculous as the mind is just another part of our body, and talking about mental illnesses, especially common ones such as anxiety and depression, should be as easy to talk about as a grazed knee.
Mental health issues can affect everyone; age, gender, race, career, none of it matters, they can still be affected by mental health. Within teenagers, anxiety, depression, bipolar, and eating disorders are the most common issues, but almost half of the people suffering from a mental illness refuse to seek help, simply because they feel humiliated or secluded due to our society. Furthermore, some people refuse to find help due to the fear of being discriminated against, whether within a workplace, at home, or within a school environment. This fear should bring down the reputation of our society, because today, no one should feel discriminated against, again, whether the issue is mental or physical. 9/10 people say that they face stigma or discrimination because of their mental health, but what makes the problem worse is that 58% of people say that the stigma or discrimination is either equal to or worse than the actual mental health problems that they face daily.
However, if it was a less of a taboo subject, more people would be willing to find help, and would probably feel less alone, due to realising how common it is within young people to suffer from mental health problems. The amount of people that don’t find the help they need is also worrying; mental health is just as important as physical health. Studies have shown that people who talk about their mental health, whether it’s to a counsellor, family member, friend, or work colleague, feel a lot better, both short term and long term.  
So really? How does our society function while ignoring the fact that mental illnesses affect everyone, whether it’s a slight or a major issue?

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