Today, we happen to live in a world where we have to think about societal reaction to almost every act that we get into and make calculated moves keeping in mind the stigma surrounding certain concepts. Of the long list of various ideas that are stigmatised around us, a glaring recipient of societal stigmatisation is mental illness or mental disability.
Stigma is nothing but a negative perception of anything ranging from the colour of your skin to your culture and stigmatising mental illness is to perceive one’s mental disability in a negative or pessimistic manner. It happens when an individual is described by the illness, he or she suffers from, rather than by their personality or individuality.
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At the outset, we must understand that attaching stigma to mental illness coupled with societal discrimination will only aggravate the issue, thus making it more and more difficult for the person to recover. So then, how does the stigma harm a person with mental illness? Imagine being constantly ridiculed for the illness you suffer from. Constant stigmatisation brings with it feelings of helplessness, isolation, loneliness, shame and self-doubt.
But where does this stigma come from? It’s simple. It comes from a lack of understanding of what a mentally troubled person factually goes through. Misleading information about the problem makes it even worse.
The question that comes to mind is, how does one address the so-called social stigma? Varied research findings, over the globe, have indicated that socialising with someone suffering from mental illness is one of the best ways of reducing or mitigating stigmatisation. Further, when victims come out and speak about their problem and share their tales, it has a positive impact on those around them. When we are aware and in acceptance of the fact that someone around us is mentally ill, the reality of it becomes more relatable, and we tend to be more compassionate towards the person, thereafter.
Another measure that can help reduce stigmatisation is to carry out social campaigns conducing to the spread of anti-stigma awareness in society.
Since, mental illness is a serious problem and the negative impressions surrounding it are not getting any better, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has given certain suggestions that could help individuals to reduce the stigma attached to mental illness. These suggestions include:
A. Coming out and speaking about the illness openly and sharing factual data associated with it across social media.
B. Responding to misconceptions by stating the fact and ultimately educating oneself as well as others around us.
C. Being sensitive and thinking twice before uttering words that may hurt a person having a mental illness. We must be actively conscious of the language we use on a daily basis.
D. Being compassionate and empathetic towards those who suffer from mental illness.
E. Accepting that you have a mental illness if at all you do, and being completely honest about health care treatment that follows.
F. Be brave and choose empowerment over shame and hate by continuously reminding and motivating yourself to fight every anti-social remark or act that comes your way.
At the end of the day, we must bring ourselves to understand that those who suffer from mental illnesses go through complex feelings and emotions while tackling every single moment of their lives. And it can get nothing but more and more challenging.
Hence, everyone must understand the role they can play in diffusing mental health stigma. The urgent need is to stop stereotyping, and educating themselves instead towards the creation of a more compassionate society that embraces mental illness and takes the leap towards empowering those who suffer from it to give themselves a better tomorrow.
