[…] Suicide rates have risen in nearly every state in the U.S. None of this is acceptable and it needs to change. As a society, we are fighting the stigma of mental illness—but at the same time, our rates of mental illness are rising. We Must Reinforce our Lessons We are asking a lot from young […]
[…] is already scary. Imagine not being able to tell what’s real and what isn’t—feeling paranoid and alone. It’s already such a debilitating symptom, and adding the challenge of stigma and misunderstanding only makes things worse. This is why it’s so important to raise our shared understanding of what psychosis is, how to recognize it and […]
[…] and coach. She delivers talks and workshops using both her lived experience and her training and education to inform people on mental illness and help break down stigma. For more on her background and services, visit www.valerybrosseau.com. We’re always accepting submissions to the NAMI Blog! We feature the latest research, stories of recovery, […]
[…] groups. Increase help-seeking behavior: Ideally, students will be comfortable with and knowledgeable about asking for help. However, it’s important to promote help-seeking by reducing the burden of stigma associated with mental health problems and increasing access to mental health resources and support. Provide substance abuse and mental health services: Providing adequate, on-site access to […]
[…] for how I felt, and I felt I was wrong for existing because I was such a burden. What made it harder are the many misconceptions and stigma around this illness. Now that I’m doing better and feeling better, I’d like to clear up some of the myths that negatively impacted my experience with […]
[…] requires a long journey of acceptance. Those with mental illness must accept who we have become. We must learn to accept disability and learn to live with stigma. We must learn to not hate ourselves for what we might perceive as weakness. Maybe we will even learn through the process of accepting our illness […]
[…] be a good idea to go to the ER. Reluctantly, I agreed to go to an ER out of town due to the issue of mental health stigma. I worried about what might happen if someone I knew saw me receiving treatment for my mental illness. At the end of the initial assessment, […]
[…] having to deal with an illness that is invisible to those around me. Graduate school taught me about advocating for others and working towards dismantling the stigma of mental illness. But behind closed doors, there seemed to be an understanding: it was okay for our clients to be depressed. It was not okay […]
[…] triggered. For me, the three most prominent emotions were anger, lack of self-worth and, eventually, hope. They reflect my evolution from mental illness diagnosis towards recovery. Stigma leads may people to think those of us with mental illness cannot control our emotions, that we are “overly emotional” or “moody.” This created a significant […]
[…] racism or cultural insensitivity from health care providers. They may also worry that providers would disregard the real problems causes by such discrimination when discussed in therapy. Stigma: Stigma about mental illness exists across all populations. However, many minority cultures view mental illness as humiliating, unimportant or a sign of weakness. These views can […]
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