Defining Terms: The Stigma of Mental Health
Stigma: A negative stereotype.
Mental Health: Conditions that affect your mood, thinking and behavior
Society’s Acceptance: Very Low. Why? Ignorance and a lack of Empathy
Being diagnosed with a condition that affects the brain, which one has no control over, leaves so many
answered and unanswered questions by the educated who have studied the brain to help the ones who
have a condition called Mental Illness – which has a negative condemnation to start with, and may be
one of the reasons, the stigma exist. Time to rename it and give it a Title that doesn’t start as a negative
but contributes with helping change the Stigma of Mental Health.
With all things in LIFE, we can’t change how others think, we can only take steps on how we ourselves
think about it and what part we can play in changing the STIGMA.
How can we change the stigma of mental illness?
- Talk Openly About Mental Health
- Educate Yourself and Others
- Be Conscious of Language
- Encourage Equality Between Physical and Mental Illness
- Show Compassion for Those with Mental Illness
- Choose Empowerment Over Shame
- Be Honest About Treatment
- Being a productive member of society
No matter how we contribute to the mental health movement, we can make a difference simply by
knowing that mental illness is not anyone’s fault, no matter what societal stigma says. You can make
a difference by being and living Stigma Free.
