Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health: Why It’s Time to Talk About the Problem
Despite its influence on our everyday lives, mental health remains an uncomfortable topic for many people. The taboo associated with mental illness prevents meaningful conversations and contributes to the ongoing stigmatization of mental health.
Breaking the stigma around mental health is essential to foster a safe space for individuals to speak freely without shame or judgment. But what does mental health stigma look like, and how can it be broken?
This article will cover everything about breaking the stigma of mental health and why it’s essential to start talking about this critical subject.
What Does Mental Health Stigma Mean?
Before you explore how to break the stigma of mental health, understanding what this topic entails is crucial. Mental health stigma describes the persistent societal rejection of individuals with mental health conditions. This harmful thinking pattern causes shame in people suffering from mental illness.
Why is Mental Health Stigma Harmful?
When mentally ill individuals internalize these toxic mindsets, they may reject seeking help and treatment services entirely for fear of further rejection.
This rejection has emboldened the mental health crisis, causing some shocking statistics on mental health stigma:
- Only an estimated 16.5% of individuals suffering from depression globally seek help, with stigma being one of the leading reasons why more people do not receive treatment.
- Nearly 60% of adults who have a mental illness don’t receive care in their lifetime.
- Among the top reasons for adults not seeking mental health treatment, 12.6% feared that their community would have a negative opinion of them. Additionally, 10.0% believed the treatment would not help, and 9.1% did not want other people to know about their condition.
Types of Mental Illness Stigma
Breaking the stigma of mental illness requires us to reflect on some standard, overlooked ways mental illness is stigmatized. Below is a breakdown of three types of mental illness stigmas and examples of mental illness-based discrimination.
1. Public Stigma
Public stigma encompasses discriminatory attitudes and beliefs that others have regarding mental illness. Public stigma pushes the idea that mentally ill individuals are dangerous, unpredictable, and at fault for their disorder. This stigma leads to individuals struggling to secure a job or having limited access to high-quality healthcare.
2. Self-Stigma
Self-stigma is a type of stigma where the individual suffering from a mental illness internalizes the negative attitudes and behaviors surrounding them, causing feelings of shame and guilt.
Self-stigma might lead to the individual believing that they are at fault for their mental illness or that they are dangerous like society tells them. As a result, their self-esteem and self-worth can reduce drastically.
3. Institutional Stigma
The final type of stigma involves discriminatory acts against mentally ill individuals involving government policies and organizations that limit opportunities available to those with a mental illness. Institutional stigma is often unconscious, revealing a systemic issue at the heart of mental health discrimination.
Institutional stigma causes stereotypes to infiltrate different institutions, leading to fewer resources for mentally ill people and lower funding for research on mental health.
Ways to Break Mental Health Stigma
So, how can we break the stigma of mental health? Though mental health discrimination is deeply rooted in society, there are small actions we can take to start breaking down barriers and encouraging better mental health treatment for individuals in need. Consider some of the following ideas for breaking the stigma of mental health:
- Treat mental illness like a physical illness requiring high-quality medical care.
- Educate yourself and your children on mental health.
- Check your language and stay mindful–phrases like “I’m so OCD,” “You’re insane,” or anything of the sort is one way that society has normalized stigma.
- Educate others when they share harmful sentiments about mental illness or use insensitive language.
- Always listen and be willing to learn from the people most affected by the mental health stigma.
Understand All Things Mental Health With Our Guides
Breaking down the barriers surrounding mental health and having open conversations about the topic is an ongoing process that requires people to stay educated and empathetic. We offer individuals with valuable resources to understand mental health for themselves and others.
Our team aims to defeat the stigma surrounding mental health and foster a welcoming space where people can understand and relate with one another, no matter their experiences.
Check out our educational resources today to learn more about the dangers of mental health stigma and how to break it.