Mental Health: NPD and BPD

What’s The Problem with Mental Illness?

In the wake of a global pandemic, political strife, economic instability, and an uptick in violence, mental illness has been on the rise in this country. To make things worse, the often unseen afflictions of mental illness make it all too likely for people with real issues to be accused of faking symptoms (and for people with ulterior motives to fake them).

Why Isn’t Public Discourse Helping?

Despite all the talk in the media and broader culture (and in many cases because of it), the public is still often at a loss when it comes to fully understanding mental health issues. Psychological debates and clinical jargon are also rapidly entering the public imagination, often in culturally (and politically) charged ways. In the age of social media, where everything is “gaslighting” and everyone is a “narcissist,” the ideas we’ve traditionally used to make sense of mental illness begin to lose meaning.

How Is The IAA Changing The Conversation?

The IAA tries to act as a forum for those dealing with mental illness to share their experiences and for scholars in the field to share their expertise. We don’t assume the absolute authority of personal experience (which would dissolve any attempt at valid psychological research), but we also don’t assume that academics and clinicians already have all the answers (which would minimize the agency and insights of real people being studied). We will interview and collaborate with people who study and/or struggle with mental illness, particularly if they do work or make content related to public perceptions of mental health issues.

Blah Blah in partnership with @cLuStErBMiLkShAkE, the IAA does T.