Mental Illness in The Media

Every once in a while, I listen to a podcast called The Moth.  This is a storytelling podcast, and the rule is that all stories have to be true.  Last week, I listened to a story celebrating women's resilience published in honour of International Women's Day.   The story was told by Beth de Araújo.  She describes witnessing a sexual assault as a child and the trauma this experience caused her later in life.  She also shares how she is learning to overcome that trauma so she can walk through life feeling less afraid. Beth de Araújo's story makes a powerful case that mental health is not just about "what's in our heads." Our mental health is profoundly shaped by the society we live in.  If we organised society differently (e.g. so that everyone was safe from sexual violence), then a lot of trauma could be avoided.