Download UTS Reflection on Mental Health and Same sex relationships and more Essays (university) Theology in PDF only on Docsity! UTS REFLECTION COLORED PENCILS The first story presented, entitled “Colored Pencils,” serves as an eye-opener to the existence of not only public stigma but also self-stigma regarding mental illnesses that are often overlooked in the society. After watching the short film, I first and foremost, realized how heavy the weight of words are to a person. In the episode, one of the main roots of Ayie’s bipolar disorder stemmed from the continuous bullying she experienced at school. With this, I am beyond stunned at how mere words can cause grave effects like depression, anxiety, and even suicidal attempts. But more importantly, I realized that our society does, in fact, have negative and discriminatory attitudes towards mental illnesses, accusing it being a “man-made” or “made-up” disorder. It was reflected by the denial of Ayie’s mother with her illness, her getting fired to work as a teacher due to her illness, and the bigotry that psychiatrists are just doctors of for the “crazy.” Lastly, I think that the episode also highlighted how support from the community positively affects both the person and the status of such illnesses in the community. Through this, I learned that by simple gestures such as greeting and being by their side, I can let people feel they are valued and, ultimately, may even help save a life. With this, I believe that we need more awareness and openness regarding mental health issues. LIE DETECTOR On the other hand, the second story presents entitled, “Lie Detector,” showed the existing stigma around sexuality, specifically same-sex relationships. By watching the short episode, it occurred to me that a lot are still afraid of coming out because of what others may think or say and, ultimately, the disapprovals of these people affect one’s mental health and disposition. Just like the first episode, I realized that words have some weight to them, and the continuous negative attitude towards same-sex relationship can destroy a life. With this, I believe that we need to be more open and accepting towards these issues in order to build a more harmonious environment for people in the gender spectrum. Lastly, I have learned that you also have to love yourself before anything else. While it is important to give a great amount of support to others, it is also important to have that same amount and attitude towards oneself.
