How We Can End The Mental Health Stigma… Together
The stigma that surrounds mental health illness is one that is rooted in total darkness - made up of equal parts unfamiliarity and negativity. This stigma has jaded the minds of so many people over the span of so many generations and has ultimately cost people their lives. As an aspiring mental health professional who has struggled with mental health illness and the stigma that has encompassed it, I am determined to do my part in eradicating it because quite frankly, it’s bullshit. It is all bullshit. The stigma was handcrafted by people with no way of understanding how the mind works and has been perpetuated by people who never thought to ask why?
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Those are the words of the late and great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and I don’t think there is any way to better illuminate how we can band together to end the stigma associated with mental health illnesses than using this idea. Think for a moment about darkness and what we associate it with. We can’t see what is in the dark, and therefore can’t identify or understand it. Darkness is also a symbol of evil and mystery that often triggers a negative emotional response from within to combat it. This stigma feeds off of darkness. It has become the problem it is today because of how it has solidified its home in darkness.
BUT darkness cannot exist where light does, and the key to turning the tide on the stigma’s position in people’s mind is to bring mental health illness to the light with love. I think this needs to be done in two ways. First, I think it is important to shine the flashlight on the origin story of mental health stigma so we can understand how it first got underway. Second, I think it is equally important to turn that spotlight within and not only understand how our mental health has affected our lives, but wearing it like a badge of honor rather than a story of burden. Bringing mental health to the light with love is how we force it into extinction, but it is going to take the entire mental health community and a lot of vulnerability to do so.
Some common stigmas associated with mental health illnesses include:
People who are mentally ill are dangerous/weak
People can just “snap” out of depression
Addiction is not a disease, it is a choice and it shows a lack of willpower
Individuals with mental illnesses are stuck like that and cannot recover
Therapy is a waste of time
There are plenty more, but chances are you have heard or have maybe even felt like one of these was true. That shows how deep it runs; don’t blame yourself if that is the case. In understanding this stigma, we have to collectively realize that a lot of our ideas that surround it were never truly ours to begin with. These misconceptions are not only false, but they do a wonderful job of screwing with anyone who has or think they may have a mental health illness. Some effects of these stigmas include feelings of shame, hopelessness, isolation, a lack of understanding from support circles, and reluctance to ask for help or seek treatment. In other words, things that only make matters worse. That’s the real issue. Not necessarily that the general public’s thoughts and ideas are misguided, but that the consequences cost people their lives.
We know that these are stereotypes with no factual backing, yet they influence the minds of so many people in such a negative way. As light drives out darkness, love drives out hate. I think that in order to spin people’s preconceived notions of mental health, we have to own our own stories and share them in a way that inspires people to do the same. So let me begin:
My name is Paul and I have mental health illnesses. I have been diagnosed with clinical depression and have been dealing with it for most of my life. It reared its head when I was only a little boy. I can remember from as early as 7 or 8 years old me watching my family go about their lives and wonder if they would even notice me gone. I’ve spent years struggling through an eating disorder that gave way to severe body dysmorphia and had me losing and gaining drastic amounts of weight in short amounts of time. I attempted suicide at 16 and at 23 because I didn’t know how to deal with the pain I had within nor did I think I was worth it to do so. I have been in and out of therapy, I’ve been on a host of different forms of medication, and for the longest time I felt like a prisoner of my own mind serving a life sentence. From the outside looking in you would think I was fine; I’ve always been a jovial guy, I care deeply about all of the people that have come and gone in my life, and I always try to put a smile on the faces of the people around me. That’s the thing though. This deeply-rooted stigma causes a disconnect between how we think about how people act on the outside versus how they’re feeling on the inside and this misconception is costing people their lives.
Looking back at the bumpy road I have taken to get here, I am eternally grateful to still be here and be in a position to share my story to whoever will listen. With a lot of hope and healing I have been able to come a long way in understanding and accepting how my brain works. I don’t look back on my past with shame or regret anymore, because I know that loving yourself requires you to love all of the turns you took to get to where you’re at today. My journey doesn’t make me weak, it makes me strong. I wear it on my sleeve... If I can win the battle within who can really stop me? Vulnerability is a lost art nowadays and it is what we desperately need to defeat this stigma, together. F*ck pretending mental illness doesn’t exist and f*ck forcing it into the shadows to give it space to grow darker.
After the events that have transpired throughout my life, I feel that I’m still here today to help those who may be struggling through similar circumstances in the dark and to empower others to do the same. That’s the core of why MyFriendAbby exists and I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to help them “empower youth and young adults to actively create peer to peer connections that improve mental and emotional health." Join MyFriendAbby and I in overcoming the mental health stigma, one interaction at a time.
p.a.loo