Let’s Look at Mental Health Stigma

Mental health stigma would be defined as having a negative attitude, thought or partaking in discriminatory actions against a person based on a particular characteristic that could include a mental illness, condition or disability. Stigma is still a very common part of society and the causes would be the lack of accurate education and understanding on the subject that leads to apprehension towards the people concerned by these conditions.

Mental health stigma comes with significant consequences. It can prevent people from finding jobs, adequate housing, and health insurance. It can also have a profound impact on self-esteem and the ability to make friends. Sometimes, the stigma attached to mental health conditions is so pervasive that people who suspect that they might have a mental health condition are unwilling to seek help for fear of what others may think.

Wondering how to combat mental health stigma?

1. Start with non-stigmatizing language. Language is an important factor in reducing stigma and breaking down negative stereotypes associated with mental health illnesses. Rather than saying that someone is “struggling” or “suffering from” a mental illness, say that this individual is living with a mental illness. And instead of saying that someone is mentally ill, replace this expression by saying that someone has a mental illness. We should also avoid wrongfully attributing mental illnesses to ourselves or others as this can minimize what it’s actually like living with this mental health condition. For example, saying that someone who likes to keep things tidy and clean have OCD.
2. The next step is to get past common misconceptions. Know that mental health and mental illness cannot be used interchangeably. Know the myths and facts concerning mental illness, medication, psychotherapies, etc. Mental health conditions are also more common than people often realise: by age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness.
3. Finally, although education is a great step towards reducing stigma, the most efficient approach usually couples information with contact-based interventions. Make It OK (https://makeitok.org/ ) is a great non-profit organization that encourages the dialogue about mental health and raising awareness. Check it out if you want to learn more!

To quote the words of the World Health Organization, “mental health is everybody’s business”. Everyone, including uOttawa students, should care about mental health stigma, so that we can work on overcoming it, thus allowing people to improve their mental health and their overall quality of life. Moreover, students should care because better mental health is often associated with better performance, academic or other. Let’s all do our best to reduce stigma and promote mental health; let’s improve the wellness of everyone around us!