July 20
A closer look: the stigma around mental wellbeing and health
A new series on Decompress - a closer look.
We hope that so far you’ve learned lots about mental wellbeing topics such as kindness and self compassion. We also hope that you can learn about time management and academic pressure to navigate your time as a student in these times.
We’d also like to touch on topics that don’t seem to directly impact our mental wellbeing, but sometimes they do. These aren’t your standard topics like coping with anxiety or anger - these are topics like expressive writing, climate change and mental wellbeing, and for today, the stigma around mental wellbeing and health.
What is it?
“Stigma is when someone views you in a negative way because you have a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that's thought to be, or actually is, a disadvantage (a negative stereotype)"
(“Mental health: Overcoming the stigma of mental illness”)
Most unfortunately and still common, there is a stigma around mental health and wellbeing. Stigma is perpetrated in our world by labeling people with mental illness with harmful stereotypes, or something like when a villain in a story has a mental illness (your brain might then associate mental health with villainous or ‘evil’ attributes).
There is both social stigma and self internalized stigma. What’s very sad about stigma is that social stigma can be internalized and hinder one’s progress to recovery.
Read more:
Check in questions:
How are you today?
Have you experienced the stigma around mental wellbeing/health before?
What do you think we can do to help start the conversation around this important topic?
Society and the stigma
Society has long viewed mental health as something to be quiet about and to sweep under the rug. The WHO reported in 2001 that about 25% of the world’s population “is affected by a mental or behavioral disorder at some time during their lives” (Ahmedani 2011). With this kind of statistic, we need to overcome the stigma with urgency.
Having a mental wellbeing concern or issue cannot usually be seen by just looking at someone. According to verywellmind.com, “[s]tigma leads to delays in treatment” and can lead to a worse psychological wellbeing condition. Society has helped this stigma keep going by keeping it in media and not letting go of those harmful stereotypes.
It is also very hard to get mental health care for those who need it. It may be because the system is not designed to help people; by not giving the services that they need, they keep holding onto the idea that mental health isn’t a real issue. This research article talk about why it’s so hard to get mental health care.
How can we overcome the stigma?
We can work together to talk about it and overcome the stigma together
Be aware of the language you use when talking about mental wellbeing
Avoid words like ‘crazy’ or ‘insane’. They might marginalize or diminish the very real struggles of those with mental health conditions. It also fuels the negative view of mental health in general.
Read more:
2. Show Compassion and listen to those who struggle with mental wellbeing
Normalize that talking about it is okay. “Remember that many people experience mental illness” (Caddell)
3. Educate
If someone makes an off hand remark that’s demeaning or just factually incorrect, tell them (you can still be kind!) what it actually is. Not everyone may be as aware and we can get there today by having collaborative, intelligent conversations.
Watch: Why It’s So Hard to Get Mental Health Care - Patriot Act (***more for older kids!)
4. Be kind to yourself
Always remember to be self compassionate. If you need a break from educating others or speaking out, take the break; your mental wellbeing matters, too.