“My mental illness was disregarded and ignored in my childhood; the family had to keep up appearances so I can’t be having these thoughts, they are not right.” G.B. 2020

What is stigma?
According to an article by the Mayo Clinic, stigma is described as, “ 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).” The sad part is, we often stigmatized ourselves as well. This is usually based on those negative stereotypes we hear throughout society, news or family beliefs. According to NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, “Stigma causes people to feel ashamed for something that is out of their control. Worst of all, stigma prevents people from seeking the help they need.” In the article by the Mayo Clinic, they list some of the harmful effects of stigma as:
Lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers or others
Fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding housing
Bullying, physical violence or harassment
Health insurance that doesn’t adequately cover your mental illness treatment
The belief that you’ll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can’t improve your situation
Reluctance to seek help or treatment
A Personal Story:
G.B. 2020
One definition of freedom is as follows: The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. I have personally experienced freedom. I have felt that incredible power of being freed, and freed of something I never thought I would be free of. A vast majority of my life I had allowed my mental illness ( bi-polar, anxiety) to enslave me into thinking that I had done something or hadn’t done something to cause my mental illness. My mental illness imprisoned me into thinking that there would never be a way out, that I was stuck in mental illness forever.

I was lucky in my epiphany. It was 100% undeniable, even to my mind: I met my birth parents and family. After spending a bit of time with my birth family I realized a vast majority of my gene pool was suffering from some sort of mental illness. That is when it hit me like a train, I actually remember the exact thought, “Holy crap it’s not just me, I came preloaded with all this.” I realized I did nothing to make myself mentally ill.

When I started seeking help in my recovery, the face of mental illness looked a whole lot different than today. Mental illness was considered a weakness (especially if you were male). I literally can not count how many times I was told to just “snap out of it”. The only reason I ever started counseling was after my first suicide attempt, at this point (1993). There was only one place for mental health counseling I could go to and it was referred to as the “nut house.” Today, not only are there more places to go to seek help it’s also highly encouraged to do so. Also, there is an increased amount of coping skills and resources available now compared to “just take this pill.” The stigma has yet to disappear, however the mark is much lighter and that gives me some hope that someday it will be gone.

What can we do?
So often, this stigma is based on a lack of understanding, but that is no excuse for it to continue. With great organizations like NAMI, through vetted online resources, and people talking to each other and advocating for themselves, stigma can become a thing of the past. Unfortunately, most of the information people find on the internet is not vetted, it is based on harmful, preconceived notions or what is trending at the time. But there is something you can do. NAMI suggests the following to help fight stigma:
Openly talk about mental health
Educate yourself and others
Be conscious of language (“He has schizophrenia” not “He is schizophrenic”)
Encourage equality between physical and mental illness
Show compassion for those with mental illness
Choose empowerment over shame
Be honest about treatment
Let media know when they are being stigmatizing
Don’t harbor self-stigma.
Do something. Anything. Talk to your friends and family about mental illness, seek help, become educated. We all have a choice and we all have the freedom to make a change. For more information on mental illness reach out to the therapists at Charmed Counseling or other therapists in your area, or go to NAMI.org to learn more about how you can help or get support for your or your loved one’s mental illness.

Resources:
Mayo Clinic article:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/in-depth/mental-health/art-20046477

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) https://www.nami.org/blogs/nami-blog/october-2017/9-ways-to-fight-mental-health-stigma

Written by Debra Winter, LMHC, LSWAIC, Clinical Therapist at Charmed Counseling
Debra@charmedcounseling.com, www.charmedcounseling.com