Mental illness impacts 1 in 4 American adults each year, yet many go undiagnosed. While global acceptance of mental health conditions has increased, there is still a stigma surrounding the topic.
What can we do to help ourselves, our family, friends, neighbors, and society writ large feel supported and relieve the societal pressure to hide mental illness?
At Chicago Mind Solutions, this is a subject close to our hearts. We help people with a range of mental health conditions through education, treatment, and therapy.
If you are looking for ways to help reduce the stigma of mental illness, we have some suggestions to get you started.
Seek Treatment
When you’re carrying the effects of mental illness around with you every day, it’s easy to feel like you are on an island. Making the leap from suffering to getting treatment may seem monumental, but when you discover the many benefits available to you, taking action becomes far less intimidating.
Depending on your situation, some of the benefits of getting treatment may include:
- Better overall quality of life
- Improved personal relationships
- More fulfilling professional life
- Less stress and anxiety
- Less anger and frustration
- Improved sleep quality
- Better memory and concentration
- Ability to handle life’s ups and downs more effectively
- Increased peace-of-mind
Listen to Others
The best way to fight any stigma is through education, and this requires conversation.
Finding the right time to talk about mental illness, may help others share their stories as well. The more we talk about it, the less taboo a subject becomes. As we’ve previously written, attitudes toward mental health are trending in a positive direction.
And if you have a friend or loved one who struggles with mental illness, taking the time to learn about it and understand what they are going through will benefit both of you. When you really listen with an empathetic ear, the other person will feel safe and they will feel heard, which are huge steps in breaking the pattern of silence.
Educate Yourself
It’s tough to break a stigma without information to support your efforts. Educating yourself about mental illness, treatment, and therapy options will help you speak to others about it.
Speaking with authority on a subject reinforces the message you share and shows others that you know what you are talking about and can be trusted. Being educated on mental health also helps you educate others. Some great resources include the CDC, National Institute of Mental Health and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Raise Awareness
When you advocate for yourself and for others, it normalizes the conversation. Acceptance may not be immediate, but we are stronger when we work together, learn together, and share together.
Now, it is completely your choice to open up, but if you’re on the fence, don’t be afraid to reach out to others, share general mental health information on social media, or join a support group.
Finding others who support your cause reinforces your beliefs, encourages growth and offers companionship in an otherwise lonely battle.
Mental health can feel like a barrier, but sometimes it is a door to new opportunities and new ways to help others.
Chicago Mind Solutions is Erasing the Stigma
Chicago Mind Solutions works with patients across Illinois, offering services such as:
- LENS NeuroFeedback
- Learning Disability Testing
- Psychological Testing
- Cognitive Rehabilitation
- Concussion Baseline Testing
- QEEG Neurofeedback Assessment
- Psychotherapy
- Learning Specialists
- Brain Avatar Training
For more information about our treatments and teletherapy options, please contact us at (224) 723-5050 or email info@chicagomindsolutions.com.
