The Taboo No One Likes to Talk About: Mental Illness

Mental illness, as stated by the Mayo Clinic, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions or disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors.

Unfortunately, there is a deep-seated stigma surrounding mental health issues that prevents most sufferers from seeking the proper medical attention to treat these often times debilitating conditions.

I am no exception to this stigma. I waited almost 30 years after my own traumas before finally seeking professional assistance. If I'm honest, I wasn't proactive in seeking support because I was excited to finally move on from past but rather a desire to damage control for an already-spiraling mental state.

Ironically, it was yet again another, more recent trauma that threw me back into the deep end of my mental health issues…….PTSD, MDD or Major Depressive Disorder, General Anxiety, Agoraphobia with Panic Disorder, and Bipolar tendencies. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?

In some cases, like mine, you can have an amazing support system that includes a loving husband, an understanding child, and best friends who display immense patience and give you unconditional love. Yet even with all these great people in your life, you still can't get past the demons in your own mind.

One of the things I hear most often is that it was a long time ago and you should 'just get over it already.' Another favorite is when the other person tries to one-up you. With one-uppers, no matter how traumatic your story is, theirs is either identical or worse. So they "know exactly what you're going through."

Most folks have lost the ability to simply listen. Listen with the intent of understanding versus the intent to respond. There is a time for you to tell your story, but unless the trauma survivor sharing their story with you asks you to share, hold on to that story for another day. They will, in almost all cases, give you the same respect and listen without judgment or responding about their own traumas because that is what they would want in return.

Now let's talk about stigmas and how we can overcome them, both for ourselves and for others.

Why is There Such Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness?

Breaking Down Barriers

Remember to ‘Be Kind’

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Why is There Such Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness?

Psychiatry.org has a great read on stigmas. According to their website, stigmas often come from a lack of understanding or fear. One of the contributing factors to this lack of understanding and fear is inaccurate or misleading media representation. Although the public may accept the medical or genetic nature of a mental health disorder and the need for treatment, most still associate a negative connotation with mental illness.

Three different types of stigma have been identified as listed below:

• Public stigma involves the negative or discriminatory attitudes that others have about mental illness.

• Self-stigma refers to the negative attitudes, including internalized shame, that people with mental illness have about their own condition.

• Institutional stigma, is more systemic, involving policies of government and private organizations that intentionally or unintentionally limit opportunities for people with mental illness. Examples include lower funding for mental illness research or fewer mental health services relative to other health care.

Stigma not only directly affects individuals with mental illness but also the loved ones who support them, often including their family members. Read the article in its' entirety here.

Breaking Down Barriers

Now that we have identified the different types of stigmas, let's take a closer look at each one and discuss it from a 'layman' perspective.

The first is public stigma. This stigma is based on the responses of everyday folks you see or meet out in public. There is a naturally negative perception of individuals who suffer from mental illness. This is the largest reason for the taboo. It is ingrained in us from a very young age, not only from our parents but also from the media, that if you suffer from a mental illness you're a bad or evil person. That there is something really wrong with you. It doesn't help that television and movies also sensationalize mental illness. Almost every documentary on serial killers or crime shows focuses heavily on the mental illness of the individual and that the mental illness is the driving factor for why their actions were committed. Again, this reinforces the negative perception of mental illness. I think it's safe to say, that mine has never caused me to consider going on a killing spree, but they have given me a considerable amount of self-doubt and prevented me from having the desire to discuss them with anyone outside my close friends and family.

The second stigma is self-stigma. And it is just as it reads, the internalized feelings we have about ourselves. Getting past the negative feelings one has about themselves is, in my opinion, the most difficult of all three stigmas to overcome. Based on the very nature of our mental illnesses, it can be tremendously difficult to think positively about ourselves. It certainly isn't from lack of trying. Our brains are hard-wired differently so retraining is a long, slow, and painful process. Can it be done? Yes, but not without a long-fought battle. You 'know' what is right, but you are physically unable to get your mind to comply. The struggle is very real my friends.

Last but certainly not least is institutional stigma. This refers to the limiting of opportunities by the government or private companies for individuals with mental health illnesses. This may or may not be intentional, including but not limited to, having fewer services available for mental illness as opposed to other health-related issues. My experience with this type of stigma has confirmed there are much more limited resources than the other health services I have required in the past. Most companies and mine was no exception, have an EAP or employee assistance program that gives an individual a finite number of 'free' visits. Mine was eight. Now, I don't know about you, but the first thing they did for me was confirm my ‘diagnosis' and promptly put me on medication. To this day, some eight months later, I'm still trying to find a good therapist or program* that will help me manage these illnesses AND not require medication to do so. I understand that in many cases medication is a necessity, and for me, as of right now, it is a necessity. I just hope and pray that one day it won't be.

*Note: It was hard enough taking that first step and to have to find another therapist and retell my story isn't exactly on my top ten list of things to do, even if it should be.

The first step in breaking down any barrier is to have a good understanding of what the barrier (or in this case, stigma) actually is. Once you have a grasp on the barrier, the next step is determining how you relate to the barrier or stigma. Do you perpetuate the stigma? Or are you on the receiving end? Regardless of which side you fall under, it is up to you to break the cycle. If you perpetuate, make a conscious and continuous effort to be more open and understanding. Help those who suffer from mental illness get the resources they need. If you aren't a decision-maker who can enact change, that's okay. There are many ways to make a difference. If you are on the receiving end, be patient (easier said than done). Develop that same understanding of the stigmas so that you can more easily recognize when they happen. Work towards educating others through facts you've found while researching as well as from your own experiences. In most cases, the fear of what others don't understand is the largest and sometimes simplest to overcome.

Remember to 'Be Kind'

Above all else, remember to be kind to yourself. You are fighting invisible battles that others cannot see. And most wouldn't even know where to begin to get through them. So many folks, myself included, spend years trying to navigate through one or more mental illnesses without ever seeking assistance. If you have already reached out to a professional, you have done the hardest part, taking the first step towards healing.

For those who are offering support to a loved one or find themselves guilty of any of the three stigmas we discussed above, please also be kind. Someone may look 'fine' or 'normal' on the outside but you never know what internal battles they are waging. Some days it is a struggle to simply climb out of bed and get dressed let alone be a highly functioning person for the day. They need your kindness, compassion, and understanding every day. You very well may be the reason they keep going. Your strength gives them strength. Knowing I have someone who never judges me, supports whatever I need to do to heal and always has my back, has made all the difference.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. - Plato

I invite you to tell us your experiences with these stigmas, regardless of which side of the fence you fall on. How can we overcome them together? What can we do to make the world or our corner of it, safer for those that are struggling?