Blog #12 What can be done to reduce the stigma and shame that still surround mental illness?

It baffles me how people are so quick to judge one another when they themselves maybe going through the same thing such as mental illness. If everyone would just accept one another for both there good and there bad then we would accomplish a lot more and develop more satisfying relationships with one another. It saddens me that people are becoming more fearful of getting help or consoling in someone they know about depression or any type of mental illness due to fear of being ridiculed and labeled as “crazy” when in reality they too maybe going through the same thoughts and emotions you are going through. As a community, society, and as a nation we need to all stand together and learn to love and accept one another. We also need to self educate ourselves on the different types of mental illness including some such as: depression, mood disorders, dysthmia, and bipolar disorder just to name a few. I guarantee most of us at some point in our lives have or will have the “blues” at some point in time. We are all the same and should respect one another regardless of what someone is going through because at any given point in time that same person could be you. By educating one another about the signs and symptoms of the different mental illnesses that people struggle with will hopefully help them seek help and treatment. Besides educating one another about the signs and symptoms to look for our government should help make treatment more affordable and easier to access through health care plans and treatment facilities that are free or at little to no cost for patients who have little to no money to pay for treatment. Unfortunately many mental illnesses go untreated due to people being unable to pay for treatment as well as being unaware of where to seek help. Advertisement would be a great tool to use to help people feel more at ease. Advertisement would also be helpful for people to feel more comfortable and reassured that they are not alone in suffering from a mental illness. This would help the stigma and shame that many people associate mental illness with and help demolish these beliefs. I think of course self acceptance, community awareness, local treatment facilities, and little to no cost for treatment are all great ways to help reduce the stigma and shame associated with mental illness.

-Brittany LeBron