# Struggles and Support > Mental Health in the media >  >  People who claim depression is beautiful

## Otherside

:bat: 

Seriously, I'm getting sick of people posting pictures of self harm scars and then word the "beautiful" after it. I can't quite work out why anyone would claim a mental illness is "beautiful"?

Ugh, why do people have to romanticize things?

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## SmileyFace

lol I've never seen or heard anyone actually call Depression beautiful, but boy have I seen lots of images on Tumblr and Pinterest romanticizing depression and mental disorders as a whole. It leaves me so confused... it's like, gee.. I wish my depression and anxiety were... lovely to experience. o_o

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## L

These people do not understand the real meaning of mental illness. They have not experienced the torment and pain that leads to such events.

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## Inscrutable Banana

A way to cope with their use of a rather unfortunate coping mechanism, I suppose. Engage in an unhealthy behavior long enough and maybe you can eventually convince yourself that it's a good thing. I imagine some peoples personalities are more geared toward going in that direction than others.

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## Chloe

I wouldn't say they're beautiful (I'm not saying they're ugly either mind so I don't mean it as an insult) more like battle scars they show how much you've been through and how strong you are now to pull yourself away from that situation. I know a fair few people that have had that low point in their lives for whatever reason and I've watched and even helped a few pull out of that dark place thankfully and the only memories left of it are those scars which serve as a reminder of how strong and resilient they are.

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## onawheel

was thinking about this the other week. years (oh geezz decade+) ago, back when it wasn't as bad I'd find myself to be sad and lonely yet feeling safe and a sense of comfort from those feelings. I always felt like I was in control of them, like as soon as I no longer felt the comfort anymore I'd just snap out of it and feel better. But with time I found it harder to do that, now when I'm low low I have no choice but to ride it out, it goes deeper and takes longer to flow back out of the ebb. there is no longer a comfort in the feeling, it sucks, it is far from _beautiful_.
so I can only surmise that for those that feel it to be beautiful in any way only have to wait, wait until the sad novelty comfort wears off, wait until it drags you under and the white wash drags your face into the sand with no sign of letting you up for air. 
 :damn kids: 

reading that back makes it sound self inflicted, like at some point you can break free, but I think when it is a reaction to your surroundings the only thing that can really have any positive effect is changing ones surroundings. I've found every time I move house a partial fog lifts, new hope, change, or a chance for change that never seems to ever come. I'm ranting, where am I going with this? hmmm my rut is .....my rut, it is me I'm my own rut more than my surroundings. my life is my problem nothing or no one else, but maybe others are partial responsible but that is another rant. ggrrr <end>.
 :hide:

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## Fallen and can't get up

Okay, first things first, cutting is something that when someone does it, all they want to do is keep it from people, they don't want their family or their friends to find out. Online, is a way for people to share their feelings with others, without feeling like they are telling people. 


But I do hate the people who take pictures of their scars, add a pretty filter to it, add some text, and post it for everyone to see, I hate people calling cutters 'attention seekers' and I refuse to call someone an attention seeker, but that's just something I don't understand. 


I find those pictures really triggering as it just reminds me that other people are doing it too.

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## Otherside

> Okay, first things first, cutting is something that when someone does it, all they want to do is keep it from people, they don't want their family or their friends to find out. Online, is a way for people to share their feelings with others, without feeling like they are telling people. 
> 
> But I do hate the people who take pictures of their scars, add a pretty filter to it, add some text, and post it for everyone to see, I hate people calling cutters 'attention seekers' and I refuse to call someone an attention seeker, but that's just something I don't understand. 
> 
> I find those pictures really triggering as it just reminds me that other people are doing it too.



I know the whole it's a place where I can talk, express myself, therapy thing. But is adding the word "beautiful" to it really necessary? That's the part that bothers me, the whole "It's gorgeous" part. It's _not_. It's not something that should be considered beautiful, okay, or encouraging. 

On another note, were you on the other site? I swear, I recognize you username from somewhere.

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## Total Eclipse

> I know the whole it's a place where I can talk, express myself, therapy thing. *But is adding the word "beautiful" to it really necessary? That's the part that bothers me, the whole "It's gorgeous" part. It's not. It's not something that should be considered beautiful, okay, or encouraging.* 
> 
> On another note, were you on the other site? I swear, I recognize you username from somewhere.




That bothers me too. I don't get why it would be encouraged.

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## Heelsbythebridge

They've confused depression with melancholy.

Depression is melancholy, but without the charms (quote).

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## Rawr

People actually do that? 

Well then again I see wannabe mainstream emo kids brag about self-harming like they're so brutal & deep for doing it. 
People that do it out of pain try their hardest to hide the scars & don't put in their Facebook name or bio "ISelfHarm". Tsk tsk.

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## Fallen and can't get up

> I know the whole it's a place where I can talk, express myself, therapy thing. But is adding the word "beautiful" to it really necessary? That's the part that bothers me, the whole "It's gorgeous" part. It's _not_. It's not something that should be considered beautiful, okay, or encouraging. 
> 
> On another note, were you on the other site? I swear, I recognize you username from somewhere.



I'm from a few bipolar forums.

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## IllusionOfHappiness

What myself and many other people go through on a daily basis is nowhere near beautiful. I have a hard time believing they experience anything even remotely similar if they can call it beautiful.

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## Kesky

i think people have different ways of fighting back, surviving. Self harm, romanticizing depression, drinking, drugs, convincing oneself of the beauty in mental illness, lashing out, being destructive, etc ,etc. 

a part of me thinks it's all better than doing nothing.

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## sanspants

> Okay, first things first, cutting is something that when someone does it, all they want to do is keep it from people, they don't want their family or their friends to find out. Online, is a way for people to share their feelings with others, without feeling like they are telling people. 
> 
> 
> But I do hate the people who take pictures of their scars, add a pretty filter to it, add some text, and post it for everyone to see, I hate people calling cutters 'attention seekers' and I refuse to call someone an attention seeker, but that's just something I don't understand. 
> 
> 
> I find those pictures really triggering as it just reminds me that other people are doing it too.



Unfortunately, I know tons of people who seek attention by cutting. For some it accomplishes both the release of negative energy and a cry for help. Some of those people want pity, but the vast majority just need a way to state that they feel terrible, and can't articulate it any other way. Keep in mind that there are many forms of attention to seek, too.  

Peoples' pics of self-harm remind me of their various reasons for doing it in the first place. If they label it as beautiful, my thought is that their cut somehow expressed how they felt at the time in a way that nothing else could. Which is really sad, but...not surprising. 

As a side note: Why go where you end up seeing this stuff? If you find it triggering or annoying, steer clear guys!

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