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Sophie Turner is being praised for her informative and sympathetic Twitter thread about mental illness—particularly because her message also included a rebuke of social media provocateur Piers Morgan.
Turner was moved to say something after Morgan retweeted an article by The Sun in which English actress Beverley Callard spoke about her battle with depression.
“Real mental illness is very dark and it takes a great deal of strength to ask for help,” Callard said. “I think we are now definitely chipping away at the stigma. But we have to be careful mental illness doesn’t become like a Gucci handbag.” She went on to say, “There is a danger it can become ‘fashionable.’”
Morgan took Callard’s words as a blanket statement, implying all celebrities use mental health as an accessory to garner attention. He shared The Sun‘s article link, adding that Callard “will be hammered for saying this, but it’s 100% true.”
She’ll be hammered for saying this, but it’s 100% true. https://t.co/lxxywZ2Ks5
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 9, 2019
The Game of Thrones actress in turn dragged Morgan, writing in a tweet: “Or maybe they have a platform to speak out about it and help get rid of the stigma of mental illness which affects 1 in 4 people in UK per year.”
“But please go ahead and shun them back into silence,” she said, before adding, “Twat.”
Or maybe they have a platform to speak out about it and help get rid of the stigma of mental illness which affects 1 in 4 people in UK per year. But please go ahead and shun them back into silence. Twat. https://t.co/mvddYPjcht
— Sophie Turner (@SophieT) January 9, 2019
Never one to back down, Morgan replied that he personally knows celebrities who “jumped on the ‘victimhood’ bandwagon” for the sake of publicity and nothing else, thus doing “those with genuine mental illness a great disservice.”
Turner then penned four tweets aptly summarizing the dangers of not allowing people to discuss their mental illnesses. Reinforcing the stigma of these illnesses only serves to further alienate those who suffer from them.
Part 1 : People who think it’s okay to make jokes about mental illness, I feel you must be lucky, because surely you don’t understand or can’t comprehend what it is like to have or know someone with an illness like this.
— Sophie Turner (@SophieT) January 9, 2019
Part 2 Depression is the second biggest killer in affluent Europe and America. One of the greatest reasons being, I believe, is because mental illness has so much stigma surrounding it.
— Sophie Turner (@SophieT) January 9, 2019
Part 3. If we can just all speak out about our experiences or our loved ones experiences we can help other people who suffer with mental illness not feel so alone. Let’s keep this dialogue going.
— Sophie Turner (@SophieT) January 9, 2019
Part 4. You are not alone, you can manage your illness, and people who make fun of it are the minority… not you. You are loved and supported.
— Sophie Turner (@SophieT) January 9, 2019
Many in the comments took Turner’s words to mean humor is not an acceptable method of coping, though the actress actually seems to be targeting those who use jokes to demean people who suffer from mental health issues (largely because they have been blessed enough to never have had it impact their lives in any sort of meaningful way).
Of course the most important takeaway of Turner’s message is that people who suffer from mental illness need love, help, and support, considering that far too many suffer alone.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
h/t Mashable