How to Kick the Stigma of Mental Illness to the Curb

"Despite therapeutic and pharmacological advances and public awareness in understanding chronic mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), these conditions are still stigmatized.

There are four types of commonly reported stigmatization:

• Self-stigma refers to negative beliefs or attitudes a person holds about their own mental illness.
• Public stigma refers to negative biases towards mental illness in general.
• Professional stigma relates to healthcare employees holding stigmatized attitudes toward their patients.
• Institutional-related stigma refers to negative attitudes or beliefs that an organization holds about mental illness.

How to Reduce Stigma

1. Educate yourself. Social media forums, private groups, or posts from therapists can be used to increase mental health awareness and mental illness acceptance. Other options include enrolling in a community course or joining a local organization that helps educate on stigmatization and mental illness so you can challenge common myths and social stereotypes.

2. Research. Ongoing research is necessary in order to increase our knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of mental illness. Factors that can create—or perpetuate—mental illness stigmatization include: social groups, poverty, social media influences, intimate relationship abuse, and family biases. Research should foster shedding light on a deeper understanding of how these variables may affect mental health and stigmatization.

3. Remove self-stigma. Be a brave voice for others living with the effects of childhood trauma, traumatic stress, or mental illness. Learn self-compassion and teach others how to enhance their self-esteem, self-advocacy, and personal empowerment. Educate others on your experiences in (re)learning how to feel safe after trauma to reduce feelings of social isolation.

4. Advocate. Volunteer at organizations that educate on mental health, mental health risks, or childhood trauma to help advocate for people living with mental health challenges. Further, persons living with mental illness need to know how to advocate for themselves. Self-advocacy includes knowing how and where to access necessary resources, practicing self-care including work/life balance, and ensuring their safety, including when (or whether) to disclose their diagnosis."

Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!

Reflection:

What else can we do to reduce the stigma of mental illness?

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