October was Mental Health Awareness Month. I was curious about what the actual goal of the month was, and if we achieved it. The goal set by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) was to create awareness of mental health within the community and decrease the surrounding stigma. So, did it work? To be honest, as a mental health provider I wasn’t even aware that October was Mental Health Awareness Month. Perhaps that’s because I feel like every month is Mental Health Awareness Month. I am always trying to make others more aware and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. But what does it take to achieve NAMI’s goal, so that every month is like Mental Health Awareness Month?
Let’s start by looking at the word stigma. Stigma is defined as being a mark of disgrace, according to the Oxford Dictionary. It also has been associated with the quality of a person (or lack thereof). In mental health, there are several types of stigmas. Two common types are public stigma (being seen as negative or as stereotypes as a result of how mental health impacts day-to-day life) and self-stigma (adopting negative beliefs about oneself, which in turn limits day-to-day life). We don’t put stigma on individuals who are in recovery from cancer, so how does it make sense to place stigma on someone who is in recovery mentally? We wouldn’t shame someone practicing physical health awareness, so why do we as a society or within ourselves feel it is appropriate or necessary to shame others (or ourselves) for practicing mental health awareness?
The benefits of mental health awareness on an individual level are great. Mental health awareness allows an individual to care for their mental health through multiple avenues, including individual counseling, group counseling, bio- or neurofeedback, medication, meditation, self-care, and many more ways. With mental health awareness at the individual and public levels, people can be seen through a perspective of possibilities versus through stigmatizing perspectives, which result in limitations.
How can you show mental health awareness and reduce the stigma? You can be aware of your own preconceptions, become educated concerning mental health, and be aware of your own mental health just like you would your physical health. You can avoid describing people or behaviors by stereotypes or by a mental health diagnosis, such as “they are so OCD,” “they are crazy,” or “that is so manic.” You can speak openly concerning your mental health with family and friends to create awareness and understanding. When possible, you can confront stigma and negative comments concerning mental health.
With Mental Health Awareness Month, the goal is to create awareness concerning mental health and reduce the stigma. The neat thing about goals is that even if we don’t achieve our goal, we can adjust the goal and try again. With Mental Health Awareness Month, maybe we need to simply make mental health a priority and adjust each month so we can achieve NAMI’s goal, making day to day living better for ourselves and communities.
– Jacob Comstock is a licensed clinical social worker at Health West. He holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Idaho State University and a master’s degree in social work from Walla Walla University.
