Mental Health Awareness

When you imagine someone who is mentally ill, how do you picture them? Your response can help you determine if you are feeding into the stigma of mental health.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, this stigma can stem from misconstrued stereotypes and prejudices that indicate that people with mental illness are dangerous or unpredictable.

This type of public shame can lead to self-stigma, making the individual feel guilty of their illness and creating more extensive discrimination in society.

Nearly 1 in 5 American adults live with a mental illness, and an estimated 19 million Americans experience a major depressive episode each year. With such prevalence, why the stigma?

“A common misconception is that mental health is all or nothing. For example, there are various diagnoses within mental health. I think the blame leads people to consider that mental health is more of the severely mentally ill, like those who are psychotic or schizophrenic,” said Latasha Ellis, a psychotherapist at Iredell Psychiatry.

https://www.iredellhealth.org/news/releases/mental-health-awareness-squashing-the-stigma/

“In all actuality, a lot of people struggle with less challenging situations, but those characters may still fall under the umbrella of mental illness.

The most common mental illnesses are depression and anxiety — something that multiple individuals have faced.

The mental health stigma may prevent individuals with a mental illness from seeking treatment to avoid being incorrectly labelled as “crazy” or “dangerous.” In addition, this stigma may create a lack of understanding from family, colleagues, or others.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, men with mental illnesses are less likely to have received mental health treatment than women. However, men are more likely to die by suicide than women.

Why is this?

Women are typically more open and emotional. Men may not share readily because society has groomed males to “man up” and not talk about or share their feelings. But anyone can experience mental health concerns,” said Ellis.

This added societal pressure on men directly influences the mental health stigma.

According to the APA, more than half of people with mental illness do not receive help for their disorders. In addition, many avoid seeking treatment due to concerns about being treated differently in society.

Especially after the previous year, consumed with the unprecedented pandemic, many have come to know depression and anxiety all too well. Living with fear, staying at home, and abstaining from all social interaction is enough to make anyone anxious or depressed.

However, the pandemic was not all bad for mental health.

“The pandemic has brought more awareness to mental health because a larger amount of people are talking about it. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic made mental health a little more acceptable in conversation because it brought forth a lot of anxiety in many of us.

How can I help stop the stigma?

The past year has demonstrated how talking openly about mental health, even sharing it on social media, can help reduce the stigma of mental illness.

“It’s essential for everyone to be open about their mental health because it helps kill the stigma. When more people are talking about it, and awareness is growing, those struggling secretly or privately are more comfortable coming forward and getting the help they need.

If you know someone who has a mental illness, it’s crucial to be supportive and validate what they are experiencing to be real and true to them. You should also minimize judgment and encourage the individual to seek the help they need.

Frequently, the need for help can be temporary; it does not have to be a permanent change in their life. Therefore, the sooner one seeks help, the better.

https://mentalhealthtraining.info/