the continued stigmatization of mental health
If you or you know someone who is struggling with suicide, you aren’t alone and help is available.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255 - https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ - Chat: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
Regardless of how prevalent the struggles with mental health are, these people still deal with the unfortunate stigmas attached to them on a daily basis and should be taken seriously without being ostracized, shunned, attacked, or discriminated against. People who stigmatize others who battle with mental illness generally lack the understanding.
Some types of stigmas (but not limited to): People with mental health struggles are dangerous, incompetent, unstable, or they are to blame for their disorder. [From <https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination>]
Side note: A lot of the same stigmas can be associated with people suffering from traumatic brain injuries.
Just because someone has a mental health disorder or has struggled with suicide, doesn't mean they’re unstable or dangerous.
These labels can have harmful effects that can worsen or turn people away from getting treatment. These effects can be (but not limited to):
Reduced hope
Lower self-esteem
Symptoms worsening
Refusal of help
Challenges in social interactions
[From <https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination>]
I encourage these people to educate themselves about mental health so they can better understand how harmful their actions can be. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a good article on 9 ways to fight mental health stigma, here's a few I found to be the most critical. [From <https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2017/9-Ways-to-Fight-Mental-Health-Stigma>]
Educate yourself and others
Be conscious of language
Show compassion
Choose empowerment over shame
I've dealt with being stigmatized or labeled a lot, mainly because I decide to put myself out there and share my struggles with mental health openly and honestly. I share these stories because it's important to see the bad and good of this important issue. If people don't share their experiences, we don't gain the knowledge of what triggers the cycle, which wouldn't allow us to develop therapies, support programs, suicide hotlines, or medication which are directly linked to saving lives and allowing people to overcome their mental health disorders.
Other reasons why I share my experiences, which I always make sure to also share the tools that worked for me to ultimately overcome my struggles, because it shows people who might be struggling with similar hardships that they aren't alone and that it is possible to fight back and overcome!
We need the complete picture to better understand. How many stories have we had where someone has committed suicide and the people close to them say: I had no idea, they were so happy, they loved life, they seem perfectly normal, etc… It's because of these stigmas our society puts on mental health pushes people to hide and not share what they're struggling with because of the fear of being labeled, shunned, discriminated against, or ridiculed. If our society allowed people to share, “I’m struggling”, how many of those people would still be alive because we could have engaged sooner and helped them? Seriously think about that for a moment.
I know what I share on my website, social media, or talks actually helps people. I've had so many people reach out to me sharing how much my experiences have shown them that they aren't alone, it's possible to overcome and get better, empowered them to reach out for help, share their own experiences, and yes, even save lives. Hearing from these people continues to show me how important it is to share and I’ll continue to do so even if it opens me up to these bullies.
The people who apply these stigmas on me generally focus on very specific parts of my story to use against me and try to prove that they’re assumption is right, ignoring the whole story or corresponding posts that go into greater detail on how I overcame my darkest of times, as well as the tools/knowledge I've used to get better. They also like to use these excerpts to post elsewhere as well, taking them out of context, without even crediting the source because they know it would show them the entire picture. It's sad that people go out of their way to do this to not just me but anyone who has a mental health disorder, but they feel like they need to knock people down to get whatever it is they are wanting. To knock people down to boost their own ego. They’re bullies, nothing more, nothing less. As the saying goes, sometimes people just want to see the world burn. There's not much you can do beyond fighting back, standing up for yourself, and showing people the entire story.
I know my story and I know everything that I've shared and accomplished directly refute their misinformed claims about my stability. The proof is in the writing and in my actions.
Something I would love to share with you all is something that has made the biggest impact on my life and helped me immensely is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). I took extensive training in DBT and the skills/tools I learned not only saved my life, but it brought my life back to center. It gave me peace of mind. It allowed me to finally see the good and positive things in life as well as the ability to break the cycle of depression once and for all. I still use all the skills and tools I learned in DBT today, because there’s always going to be hard, sad, depressed, and difficult days. The difference now is I know how to fight it before it spirals out of control.
But DBT might not be for everyone, that’s why it’s so important to reach out to a mental health and or medical professional to figure out what will work for you.