@tyme That's an interesting discussion. With the older generation, I believe it's because they probably had periods of anxiety and uncertainty and depression but were never allowed to sit it out, they never received any help or acknowledgement, they might even have been fearful of barbaric treatments should they show anything was wrong like you say. But even if it there was no fear of that, therapy was probably extremely inaccessible to most people. And despite that they see that they are well adjusted individuals who have built a life and family for themselves. I think the mockery both extends from both resentment of their struggles going unacknowledged (yet they feel they are being told to acknowledge and support others, and be mindful of them always) as well as a genuine belief that just keeping on going is the best way to deal with it because that was all they had and it turned out okay (in their books). That's the much older generation.
But even for me, still a young adult, my anxiety and depression was never acknowledged by any adult... despite it being extremely obvious. I had to seek treatment and acknowledgement for myself, And so even I have (sometimes very strong) feelings of resentment due to that, which can make it hard to be sympathetic sometimes. I would be annoyed if someone had anxiety and constantly was mentioning it when being asked to come out or do something, it would genuinely feel that they are using it as an excuse like she said - 'only having anxiety when it's convenient'. And I have Anxiety! I know what it's like! but also part of me striving to get better is not saying I can't do something because of it, not saying 'my anxiety means I can't do this', it's trying in every little way possible to push my own boundaries and overcome them. So to hear someone say 'but because I have anxiety [this]' really fires that resentment back up, because I feel like they're not trying despite having the acknowledgment from others that I didn't have. And that is something I'm working on within myself, because I know it's harmful to both me and others to have those feelings. So I feel like I understand the words of that mother you mentioned completely. It comes from a place of frustration and possibly even resentment (though lets be honest, I think parents have many gripes not related to mental illness with their teenagers that could potentially sound like a similar mocking comment). In saying that however, it might also be possible that her child doesn't actually have anxiety, could be misdiagnosed, and the parent it literally only seeing their child exhibiting anxiety like symptoms when they're asked to do something they don't want to... which would additionally be frustrating and lead to such a comment. It's unlikely, but possible.
Honestly I think the push for acceptance and openness of mental health has been both a blessing and a curse for young people. A blessing obviously because it is important to destigmatise mental health, so people can get the treatment and resources they need. However the almost glamorisation of it is completely detrimental, sometimes I'm on a forum or something and it will feel like people are playing the letters game, like they're seeing how many diagnosis they have and comparing them as if they were badges of honour. Then there's teens who are mistaking feelings of sadness for depression, and feelings of stress for anxiety because that's all they are hearing about, and being shocked when they go to get diagnosed and the doctor says no, you're just sad, and of course they don't know how to deal with that because they've only been looking into how depression is treated and only being shown depression rather than sadness (it's also scary to think maybe self diagnosis, mixed with research online could lead to misdiagnosis and over prescription of antidepressants in young people. Those scales they use for diagnosis are easy to misinterpret or recognise patterns in if you've convinced yourself you've got something, and lack of training and interest in mental health from many doctors, could make it very easy to be misdiagnosed. but that's another issue.).
There's also whole communities seemingly based around glamorisation of mental illness and other disorders as something quirky, without showing the true impact. There's quirky 'anxiety and 'depression' branded clothing, then creators on social media basing their entire personalities around their mental health or other illness (in quite a dishonest way), we're even seeing teens now developing tic disorders and imitating other mental illnesses because of it - with encouragement and attention continuing to stimulate that behaviour, until it could actually develop into a mental illness.
I've also seen creators who are clearly going through a depressive episode for instance, with unwashed hair and unkempt appearance, being berated and spoken down to by others. And that's because, though people are open about having depression, they are decidedly less open about that sometimes meaning that lack the ability to shower for weeks at a time. It's all glamorised for social media and close friends, but the disorders themselves are far from glamourous. And when that less glamourous side is spoken about, I find people to be much less accepting.
It's good that younger generations are able to talk openly about it and their struggles. But it's not good that it's 'cool' to have them.
