# breakthestigma is about ending the public attitude that having a mental illness makes a person less valuable to society, and about ending the correlated dismissive and dehumanizing treatment. Stereotyping anyone in a negative way has never benefited society, only damaged it, and we at the Mental Health Foundation believe this stigma must end if we are to see society help those suffering with a mental illness become all they can be.
Why the Stigma?
The media is one of the main instigators of the negative bias toward people who suffer from mental illness, portraying them as dangerous, stupid, or evil and only deserving of jail or social shunning. The only way around this is by serving the public, and the medical community, with as much helpful educational content as possible to provide awareness and understanding of the truth — that every human has value and deserves the same quality of respect, quality healthcare, and social support as those around them.
How the Stigma Damages Recovery
The public might treat someone with a mental illness in the following negative ways:
Devalue their existence
Violate their human rights
Discriminate against them in the workplace or other social setting
Say they are undeserving of help – that they brought it on themselves
Judge them to be a drug addict, sex worker, or criminal purely by their illness
Minimize their quality of healthcare, downplay or ignore their symptoms if sick
Not prioritize their need of safe housing, job opportunities, or education
Bully or abuse them verbally and physically, talk down to them, demean them
Exclude them from making decisions about their own care
Not cover them with adequate health insurance
THE SOONER THIS TERRIBLE BIAS AND TREATMENT ENDS, THE SOONER THE PUBLIC CAN COME TOGETHER TO STRENGTHEN AND SUPPORT OUR MENTALLY ILL 100% IN A JUDGMENT-FREE WAY.
End the Self Stigmatization
The people suffering from a mental illness can also apply this stigma to themselves, judging themselves to:
Have less value – untrue
Deserve the demeaning treatment – untrue
Never measure up – untrue
Not deserve professional healthcare when sick – untrue
Not deserve to live – untrue
Be unable to ever succeed in life or improve circumstances – untrue
All of these judgments can be lessened or eliminated through the following measures:
Treatment – usually a combination of therapy and medication, can help lessen immediate symptoms and provide a positive timeline for recovery or a management plan that makes you feel like you are back in control.
Counseling and talk therapy – has been proven over and over again to provide understanding and practical help with managing symptoms.
Self talk – Talk therapy can help greatly with challenging the thoughts about your illness, removing the self stigmatization, and inserting encouragement and positivity. You are not your illness; you are a highly-valued person with an illness.
Social support – Talk with those you trust about what’s going on and ask for their support. Join a local support groups, ask teachers for help, join an online forum, find a vocational rehab group.
Openness – Encourage others by sharing your story in safe environments.
Together we can #breakthestigma
