Although mental health may not
seem extremely prevalent in our society, in 2014, there were an estimated 43.6
million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with a mental illness in
the past year. This number represented 18.1% of all U.S. adults. This number
may seem shocking to some people as this indicates that almost 1 in every 5 people
have a mental illness- this means you probably are around a number of people
all day long that have a mental illness and you don’t even know it. Why don’t we
know that our friends, co-workers, or peers have a mental illness? Because
mental illnesses are unbelievably stigmatized. People feel embarrassed to talk
about the mental health to health professionals, let alone their friends. How
do we stop this? How do we help people feel open to talk about their mental
health in a non-judgmental environment? I have talk about these issues in a
number of my classes. A couple solutions that have arose are:
1.
Having more integrated care facilities- a one stop shop for all of your health
needs. Instead of people “going to the psychiatrist” they are just “going to
the doctor”. Although mental health and physical health are currently regarded
as two separate things, they need to become more integrated. They both reflect
and impact the other, so why not put them both under the general health term
instead of distinguishing them so much?
2.
We need more advocacy for mental health. This may through social media,
commercials with celebrities, or just more focus on this topic at your annual
check-up.
3.
Last, I think workplaces and employers need to be more sensitive about this
topic. In class yesterday a student spoke about an experience she had in
Ireland. She met a man dressed in a suit walking around at a park. She spoke to
the man to find out he was on his way to work that morning until he realized he
was way too stressed, called his boss, and was advised to take the morning off
to go for a walk and then report back about his encounters on his walk later
that afternoon. I don’t think that is heard of here in the U.S. We then discussed
how not only should we get sick days, but also mental health days.
Mental health must not be
neglected due to the many effects in can have on one’s body. It can worsen physical
problems as well as worsen as a mental health illness if it is not treated and
discussed. How can we get rid of this stigma?
Hannah, this resonates with me. As a graduate student you face stress sometimes on a daily basis, and you are made to feel that you are supposed to be able to handle the stress, because that is what is required of you as a graduate student. We do not always know who to talk to and you don't want to hear, well if the stress is too much then maybe this is not the right place or program for you, as I have heard in my career.
ReplyDeleteI know that Purdue employees who see a counselor have to pay an excessive amount even with insurance. This is unfortunate because I believe that employers should want a healthy and stable employee. It is not beneficial for either as the less the employee deals with his or her problems the more it will be manifested in the body leading to increase in health care cost and lost work time. I have seen that many prominent actors and actresses are speaking out about their need for counseling. In the Black church, pastors are encouraging congregants to seek mental help if it is needed and showing that there is nothing wrong with it. Pastors are even saying that just as you need a medical doctor so too, counseling can help with matter of the head and heart. I am encouraged by this because in the black/AA community this was considered taboo, and something to never discuss openly.
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Coming from a traditional European background, mental health has always been something we never talked about. There certianly was an unspoken stigma around it. However, a lot of my family members and I am sure many more deal with mental health illnesses and it was when we spoke about it and opened up the discussion was when the stigma somewhat dissipated. I love all three of those solutions that you brought up and most important of course in my opinion is communication! We open up the discussion and use the technologies around us to reach the ears of the masses; we have that ability now more than ever to do so. The mental health illnesses and diseases are one problem and the stigma is something that should be considered a subject of its own in finding the solutions. And so I did some research and found an article that bases their research on an entire "stigma theory"; there is a theory! They conclude from his findings that stigma is a moral experience/ “what is most at stake for social actors” (Yang et al, 2006). and needing to be understood as such. So taking a look at the individuals’ roles in the ‘stigma transsaction’ may help develop effective programs and interventions to relieve the issue in our society. I am sure it is different in many different cultures, and I think for us, it would be that communication is key!
Reference:
Yang, H.L;Kleinman, A.; Link, B.; Lee, S.; Good, S. (2006) Culture and stigma: Adding moral experience to stigma theory. Social Science & Medicine.
Indeed, how can we get rid of stigma? The three options you have noted make a lot of sense and we need more too. Maybe the best place to start is with the communities.
ReplyDelete