Even though society has come a long way in raising awareness about mental health, and there is greater knowledge and understanding in our culture as a whole, if someone is asked what they think when they hear the words “mental health”, initially their thoughts are often of someone who has problems and maybe struggling in some way.
This lack of understanding about mental health and how it affects people often leads to stigma, with prejudiced and judgemental thoughts, such as people being weak, worthless, attention-seeking and even dangerous because of their mental health problems, all of which couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Collins Dictionary states that if something has stigma attached to it then “people believe it is something to be ashamed of”, so what can we do to solve this and make it an easier subject to talk about?
The longer people are ashamed, scared, and isolated when they are already in deep emotional pain, the worse their mental health will become. This doesn’t have to be the case as there are so many fantastic resources and services out there. But how can we get people to do this when they fear the reaction of those around them when they disclose how they are feeling?
Make talking about mental health part of your everyday conversation
Create an open discussion with family, friends, or colleagues about how you are feeling. You may have been concerned about a deadline and feeling anxious, which in turn affected your sleep. You could talk about this and say what you did to help with your situation and how things improved very quickly. This not only shows that it was good to ask for help, but you gave your own experience which encourages others to do the same.
Think about the language you use
This is important as the impact of the words we choose can add to the stigma people can feel. Saying psycho/crazy/mental to describe someone in conversation may cause additional distress to a person who may be feeling that they need to seek some support, therefore preventing them from asking for help. If you find yourself saying inappropriate words, correct yourself. If someone in your company is doing this, politely correct them, explaining your reasons why if necessary.
Education is key
Empowering yourself with knowledge about mental health conditions can help how we can support others and ourselves. This may in turn allow someone to feel they can talk to us about their experience or problems as they know we are genuinely interested and care. For example, they may hear us talking about self-harm and that it isn’t attention-seeking but a way of coping with emotional pain, and this, in turn, may encourage them to speak about something they had previously felt ashamed of.
Reach out to those around you who have problems with compassion
Be a person who asks how people are and listens. Sometimes the only thing that a person needs is to be with someone who will show empathy, will sit with them while they talk and perhaps cry, and then seek the extra help that they need at the time from their GP or health professional.
These are just a few ideas of things to try to fight stigma and allow those who need help to have the confidence to ask for it without shame.
You really can make such a difference.
Please talk to us about any mental health training you would like. From suicide awareness seminars and webinars to NVQ’s in mental health first-aid, we have packages to suit all organisations.