mental health taboo essay

Is Mental Health Still a Taboo Subject?

Poor mental health affects nearly everyone at some point in their life, and it doesn’t discriminate. There are various trigger points that can influence a person’s mental health state, such as work stress , relationship breakdowns and money worries, to name but a few. The COVID-19 pandemic, of course, has accelerated this problem even further. According to statistics, 1 in 6 people in the past week will have experienced a common mental health problem.

Poor mental health, it seems, is a very common phenomenon – and yet so many people find it hard to talk about and disclose their mental health status to others, including work colleagues and even their families. This article will explore some of the reasons why mental health remains a taboo subject.

Hidden disability

Formally diagnosed mental health conditions are classed as a hidden disability because the symptoms are not immediately obvious to the outside world. Many people with depression and anxiety learn to camouflage and hide the behaviours that might inform people of their true state. The bubbly girl at work, for example, may just be hiding her eating disorder.

Perception of weakness

A common reason why mental health can be a taboo subject is a fear of appearing weak and vulnerable in front of others. Although this can be seen in both sexes, it is especially apparent among men – as they are less likely to talk about their mental health to their GP. One of the reasons cited for this is that men feel pressured to live up to a stereotype of strong masculinity and that mental ill-health is therefore seen as a weakness that will be used to discriminate against them. 

It’s common for men’s testosterone levels to decline by 1% every year from the age of 40 , and this can also contribute to a range of mental health issues. Experiencing low testosterone and its associated symptoms can be a taboo subject in itself, and this can help to create a vicious cycle of worsening mental health issues that men never talk about.

Celebrity influencers

But the tide is turning in Western countries, as more and more celebrities come forward and acknowledge that their stage persona is not all they are. They too have anxiety and periods of low mood. Stephen Fry became president of the mental health charity Mind in 2011, after publicly disclosing his ongoing battle with depression . To take a few more examples among many, Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed he has obsessive-compulsive disorder; Chrissy Teigen has suffered from postpartum depression, and Demi Lovato has been very open about her bipolar disorder diagnosis. As more celebrities become open and transparent about the difficulties they have, it slowly becomes less of a taboo in general society.

Although mental health is still something of a taboo subject for many people, more and more progress is being made. Mental health is in the public consciousness more than ever before, and compared to even 10 years ago there have been huge improvements in opening up the topic. This is partly thanks to celebrity influencers and public health campaigns encouraging people to talk . There are also significantly more services available to support people in need and to prevent further decline. As more male-focused mental health charities work with men to tackle stigma, the more we will see the impact amongst men. The internet has also widened participation even further through virtual sessions of counselling and coaching – which is more important than ever before due to COVID-19.

Anne Williams is the media consultant for Williams Media Consultancy.

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Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health Taboo

by Breaking Taboo | Apr 9, 2019 | Articles , Taboo & Breaking It

In September 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) [1] included Mental health in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The importance of mental health became recognized on a worldwide level. Our world leaders have recognized the importance of mental health awareness and are working on creating a positive impact on communities and countries in need. Despite these positive developments, mental health still remains a taboo in certain cultures around the world.

Some important terms and definitions to keep in mind:

• Culture: “ the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.”
• Culture-bound syndromes: “are sets of symptoms much more common in some societies than in others.”
• Stigma: “defined as a mark of shame or discredit.”
• Taboo: “a prohibition imposed by social custom or as a protective measure.”

Stigma is having a huge impact on mental health awareness and treatment. Currently clinicians are viewing the issue as “culture counts” [2]. The culture and beliefs of the clinician can impact how they interact with a person coming in for mental health services. Even deeper is the issue of the various beliefs and culture of the person needing mental health services. 

When looking at different cultures, it is important to understand their backgrounds, to understand their history. If a culture has been oppressed, they are used to a certain way of living. If a culture has a strong influence on health and wellbeing they may have already understood and be practicing the importance of mental health wellness. 

Starting off within the Western or American culture there is often a distinction made between mind and body [2]. In today’s day and era there is the beginnings to an effort being made to acknowledge the importance of mental health awareness. From the Surgeon General addressing the issue to it being implemented in workplaces. The cultural taboo is being fought back.

Source A, an administrator coordinator, who associates herself with American culture, does not believe mental health is a taboo in her culture anymore. “We are able to talk to people about our issues and use various means to alleviate mental health issues,” stated Source A. (Source A asked not to be listed by name due to it being taboo at her workplace to publish their personal opinions in public spaces since they represent the workplace.) Source A also shared that her “family believes in utilizing medication to alleviate mental health issues while she focused on dietary habits and exercise as well as therapy to help solve her mental health issues.” She finds it to be the most effective. While this particular viewpoint shows a positive advancement in how mental health is viewed in American culture, it is unfortunately not indicative of how everyone in America currently views mental health. There is still a long way to go in breaking the taboo.

In certain Asian cultures mental illness is highly stigmatized. Having a mental illness is related with having a poor family background and influences the potential of marriage into a certain family. Literature shows that Chinese Americans have more somatic complaints of depression than African American or white [3]. 

Rahul Bains, an IT Manager with an East Indian background, also shared his viewpoint from his culture. He agrees mental health is a taboo in Eastern India and feels people do not take mental health illness as a serious health issue that can be cured. “In our families, mental health issues are often associated with other issues and the families try to resolve other issues first and consider the mental issues will be taken care of as well. In so many cases, they relate mental health issues as a result of bad deeds “karma”, religion or something supernatural. This leads to religious “treatments” and if it is not treatable then they say it’s God’s wish,” explained Rahul. 

Coming from an East Asian background myself I have seen the social stigma that is attached to mental illness. From my experience, people are not educated about mental illness and the various forms of it which leads to the social stigma. Because of the lack of mental health education, they have a lack of vocabulary to describe their emotions. I have seen my grandma go through a difficult time and her stating she is upset, and her mood is not right but that is the extent of emotions she has described to me. I have seen other family members need mental health counseling, but they have waved it off because of what will people think and not wanting to share secrets. 

Nancy Tang, a Clinical Nurse Specialist, is a first generation Chinese American shared her experience with me. She shared about mental health definitely being taboo in the Chinese culture. “People don’t like to talk about it at all even though they know it is a concern,” stated Nancy. She related back to her family and shared that they are “not open to seeking psych evaluations or treatments. Even though it was clear that I had family members that needed it or could benefit from it.” Nancy also shared that mental health is regressing in her culture due to the glamourized stereotype of how people should be living. 

The Hispanic culture has a lot of culture-bound syndromes which are important to identify before and while treating and diagnosing mental illnesses. For example, they believe in the mal de ojo (evil eye) and susto (fright) [4]. The value in understanding these culture- bound syndromes helps with better understanding the need for mental health education/ prevention/ treatment. 

Common mental health disorders among Latinos are generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcoholism [ 9 ]. The most common diagnosis I have heard from the Latino population is them describing symptoms of depression as “nervios” (nervousness) [9]. Despite these issues, the Latino community does not talk about mental health issues for fear of being labeled as “locos” (crazy) [9]. Other factors that contribute to the associate are privacy concerns, language barriers, lack of health insurance, misdiagnosis and even legal status. 

As of 2017, there are currently 567 federally- recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes; they are culturally diverse and speak more than 200 languages [5]. In the American Indian culture, there is a lack of vocabulary to describe such words as “depressed” and “anxious.” Not only is there a language barrier but also a cultural difference of how to express distress and unhappiness. Although the Census shows a significant increase and those identifying themselves as American Indian there is a lack of studies that have been conducted [7]. Adults are not the only ones being affected, American Indian and Alaskan Native children and adolescents have the highest rates of lifetime major depressive episodes and highest self-reported depression rates than any other ethnic/racial group [5].

As previously mentioned, there have not been many studies about Native American attitudes regarding mental health and mental illness. In the Native American culture, there is a worldview that surrounds the notions of connectedness, reciprocity, balance and completeness that creates structure for their views of health and well-being [8]. Studying this experience may help lead to finding the fundamental aspects of psychological and social well-being and the mechanisms for their maintenance [8].

Currently the stigma and taboo are there in every culture, in one form or another. The question is what is the best way to address the issue? Education or preventative measures? What is the culture in question open to? Can we cross that language barrier to help create the needed vocabulary?

~Jasneelam Kaur

Recently relocated to Los Angeles. Health educator, foodie and traveler, currently spending time enjoying the simple things in life.   

1. www.who.int/mental_health/SDGs/en/  

2. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44249/    

3. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44245/  

4. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44247/    

5. www.psychiatry.org

6. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

7. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44242/    

8. http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/native-american-communities-and-mental-health

9. https://www.nami.org/find-support/diverse-communities/latino-mental-health

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InfoQ Homepage Articles Breaking the Taboo – What I Learned from Talking about Mental Health in the Workplace

Breaking the Taboo – What I Learned from Talking about Mental Health in the Workplace

Jan 28, 2021 18 min read

Sophie Küster

reviewed by

Ben Linders

Key Takeaways

• The topic of mental illness is often shrouded in taboo and stigma which hinders open communication and relationships.
• Opening up about your struggles can help. It can make others feel less alone and encourage them to speak about theirs in turn. But it can also help by allowing yourself to ask for and accept help.  
• Speaking openly about your experiences and opinions can be daunting. But rather than a character trait, it is more of a skill that can be learned and practiced.
• Showing vulnerability, for instance by admitting to having a mental illness, is sometimes seen as a weakness. But contrarily, it can be an empowering experience – to yourself and others.  
• In uncertain times like the ones we currently live through, many struggle emotionally and psychologically. By changing the way we talk about mental illness to a more open and unprejudiced conversation, we can make it easier to see the symptoms, understand them, and get help if needed.

Mental illness is a topic that does not get discussed openly very often. Many people concerned hide their own history for fear of being stigmatized, especially in the workplace. I was no exception to this, until one day I decided to speak openly, even with my boss and co-workers. Communication and relationships have changed a lot for me since then and – even though not all experiences have been positive – largely for the better. I recently told my story at the Agile Testing Days and afterwards many participants reached out to me, saying that they had had similar experiences with illness and self-imposed silence. This again solidified my belief that talking about mental illness helps yourself and others. So let me share with you what I have learned from breaking the taboo.

When I was in my early twenties and a math student at University, I fell ill. I did not know what was happening to me; I only knew things were going terribly wrong. University was not going well, my boyfriend and I were fighting incessantly and – without wanting to – I was pulling away from all of my friends. Even my own thoughts scared me; I felt sad and scared and overwhelmed and lonely most of the time, and sometimes I did not feel anything at all.

I felt so helpless that I desperately clung to the only aspect of my life of which I still felt in control: my weight. I started obsessively exercising while limiting my calorie intake, striving for a body that I hoped would satisfy my own perfectionism. But it never did. By the time I admitted to myself that I needed help, my body looked as sick and malnourished as my soul felt.

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When I finally went to a doctor, I was diagnosed with depression, an anxiety disorder and eating disorder, and I spent the next years on antidepressants and in therapy. I got better, little by little, but it took time and effort.

However, this is not the story of my sickness or my recovery. This is the story of what happened when I decided to speak openly about mental health, even in the workplace. So we will have to fast forward a few years.

When I had finished my University degree and first applied for jobs, my mental health became a problem again. I felt much better but my illness had taken up so much mental capacity for so long that my studies had taken noticeably longer than they should have. So my CV looked bad and, fearing the stigma that comes with mental ill health, I did not want to disclose the reasons, least of all in a cover letter or a job interview. As a result, the job application process was challenging.

One day I decided to take a risk. I had been on an interview and had been asked - as always – why I had lost time at University and the interviewer was obviously not buying my evasive answers. I admitted to the eating disorder but nothing else, hoping that that was just enough to explain the gaps, but not so bad that he would think I would relapse under the slightest bit of pressure.

He gave me a chance and hired me, on a limited contract at first. I instantly liked the work; the atmosphere was great and I loved the colleagues. I was really happy there, and to this day I still am. But back in my first months, I was constantly worried that I would slip up and someone would find out my deep dark secret.

After my diagnosis, I had always talked rather openly about mental health (or lack thereof) with friends and family. But at work, I did not dare to. You simply do not talk about that in the workplace, I thought. I did not want to be seen as weak or vulnerable or unable to withstand stress, or even stupid, least of all by my boss. That of course meant I could not speak openly with my colleagues. The years I have spent being ill and getting better have had a big impact on who I am now as a person, and they have taught me a lot. And normally I like to share what I have learned, but you cannot share insights from therapy if you want to keep the fact that you have been in therapy a secret.

So there was always friction. On the one hand, I spent hours a day with my co-workers, working, having lunch, playing foosball or having after work beers, and I had become quite fond of them. But on the other hand, I always bit my tongue.

Then, two years ago, something changed. My colleagues and I went to the Agile Testing Days for the first time. I do not know what I expected exactly, but certainly not what I encountered: people talked about mental health. In a professional environment. At a tech conference, no less. After a talk about burnout, I asked the speaker how he had explained his absences to his boss and he answered, "The truth". That got me thinking.

Commitment, focus, respect, courage and openness – we probably all know the Scrum values by heart. But trying to hide my own history certainly did not feel courageous and open. And could I not trust my boss and my colleagues to still respect me if they knew about my history?

As it happened, I had my end of year performance review on the very first day back at the office after the conference. My head still spinning from all the new impressions (and a serious lack of sleep), I was determined to rectify my own lack of openness. So I started the review by telling my boss the whole truth about my mental illness. And from that moment on, I talked openly about mental health whenever the topic came up, even with my colleagues.

Here is what I have learned since then:

1. You are never the only one.

When you mention illness or therapy in a casual conversation with a group of people, there is often enough someone who responds with their experiences. It is a simple matter of statistics. According to the State of Health in the EU Report of 2018 , 17% of the population had a mental health problem during one year- that is more than one in six. So if the group is large enough, there is always somebody else who has had a similar experience.

It should not have come as a surprise that as soon as I started speaking about mental health issues with my colleagues, I learned I was not the only one who had been through hard times or had a loved one who had.

One day, a co-worker approached me. He said there was something that he had kept to himself and he did not want to hide it anymore, but did not know how to start talking about. With my openness, he felt safe to confide his story in me. And a short while later he talked about it at lunch in a larger group as well. Having helped someone become more comfortable with talking about themselves is one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had.

2. Openness is a habit, not a character trait

The second change I noticed was within myself. Anxiety and impostor syndrome make it hard to voice your opinions, especially if you have to contradict someone. After all, who would want to listen to silly me? Why should I be right?

In an agile team however, you have to be able to say, "Hey, I think we’re wrong here" or, "I think we should do it differently". That is what the values of courage and openness are all about, aren't they?

I used to think that being able to speak your mind openly and easily was a character trait that I just sadly did not have. But I have found that it becomes easier with practice. Once I had shared something so very personal, expressing my opinions about day-to-day business did not seem so overwhelming anymore. Over time I became more and more comfortable with being open. At lunch I would share a funny anecdote about therapy and during our sprint planning I would share my thoughts about the user story we were discussing, even if I thought that I might be wrong about it.

I will not pretend that it is now always easy. The anxiety and impostor syndrome did not magically disappear; it still takes a conscious effort to overcome them. But I have learned that openness, much like confidence, is like a muscle that can be exercised. When you start, it is hard and your muscles get sore. But the next time you try, it feels a little easier and the ache afterwards is not as bad.

3. There's strength in showing vulnerability

Being a sensitive person plus having depression plus anxiety means I have never had thick skin. When I was younger, I was called a wimp and a cry baby for it. So naturally, I have always worried about conflicts at work. I never wanted to show vulnerability. But that too changed.

Even in the most harmonious, well-attuned teams, misunderstandings and conflicts occur, on a professional level as well as on an interpersonal one. And you cannot resolve a problem without accepting that there is one in the first place, and that sometimes means admitting you are hurt.

One day for example, I had a stupid misunderstanding with a teammate. He was rather new on the team, and during our daily stand-up meeting, I had mentioned a problem that I was facing. His response indicated that he thought I was not doing enough to solve it and he had to save me. I did not say anything and told myself he probably did not mean it, but it gnawed at me. I kept obsessing about it for hours. Old me would just have let it ruin my day and probably leave a dint in my confidence while putting on a happy face. But new and improved, open and talkative me did not want to. So I sent him a message saying I was bothered by what he had said and why. My therapist would have been so proud. All these hours of talking about healthy conflict resolution and here I was standing my ground, making I-statements.

We talked the problem through, sorted out the misunderstanding, and have much better communication ever since. Admitting I was hurt had not made me weak in his eyes. On the contrary, he appreciated me facing the issue.

4. Some people just don’t get it   If you break a leg, no one would ever suggest you should pull yourself together and stop having a broken leg. When you are physically ill, your body needs time to heal. Sometimes you need more than time. You need doctors and medicine and plaster casts and surgery and radiation and bandages. There is no shame in that.

But when it comes to mental illness, some people do not apply the same logic. Their reasoning seems to be that if it is your head that is suffering, it is "all in your head". So you receive advice ranging from, "Look on the bright side", "Just stay positive," to "Antidepressants are bad. They mess with your brain" and, "You know you’re too skinny, so eat something. It’s not that hard." It is for the most part probably well-meaning, but entirely unhelpful. Even worse than unhelpful, it can be dangerous. When you are constantly told that it is not a real disease, you might not see a doctor, you might not take your medicine. But it is a real disease, and it is potentially fatal. So do not laugh it off and do not make people feel bad about taking pills that could be saving their life.

So how do you deal with these people? Do you try to educate them or do you try to ignore them? I myself have over time accepted that some people just do not get it. And that has meant the end of more than one friendship. That does not mean that I have stopped caring. Not caring is not exactly an easy thing to do if caring too much is part of your diagnosis. I still try. I try to explain to people what it’s like and I try to be zen about it when that is fruitless.     5. Some people get it really wrong   I talk quite openly about very personal things. And this openness at times gets misconstrued as a cry for attention, and in particular, male attention. I do not see how you can understand "My brain does not produce enough of the happy chemicals" as being flirty, but it has happened.

One day at a party, in a discussion about openness, a man told me, "I like your openness. And since we’re all being so open, here’s what I like in bed. Oh and by the way, I have been thinking about doing that to you while you were talking." Maybe this man did not even mean any harm by what he said. Maybe he honestly thought he was cheering me up by complimenting me. But maybe he was exploiting my perceived weakness, my "confidence issues", and that is appalling. It is predatory behavior and I am not easy prey.  

Thankfully, I have not had many of these encounters.

6. People want to help you. Let them

When my colleagues and I came to the Agile Testing Days for the first time, we were planning to fly in from Cologne Bonn Airport to Berlin Schönefeld, just over an hour in the air. The only problem was that I have a phobia of flying. When I am on an airplane, panic takes over me and I cry and yelp and hyperventilate. Obviously, I did not want my new colleagues to see me lose my cool like that, but I knew it was going to happen and there was nothing I could do to hide it.

So I decided to get ahead of the embarrassment and told one of them about my fear. But she did not laugh, she did not find it embarrassing, she did not tease. She asked, "What can I do to help?" I told her how to make a flight easier for me – distract me and remind me how to breathe in case I forget. And that is what she did during the entire flight. Not only that, but all my colleagues on that flight helped to keep my mind off of my fear, even the ones I had not briefed.

My fear of being laughed at for my silly phobia made me forget one very important thing: most humans are kind. They will want to help you, if you let them. Asking for help and accepting help can be hard, I know. But changing your perspective and looking at the effects on the person who is helping might make it easier; psychological research suggests that helping others also boosts your own well-being and lowers depression. We have probably all felt the warm glow that comes from helping others. So look at it this way: you get the help you need, they get the endorphins. Win – win! And if you are scared that people will like you less for being a burden, consider the Ben Franklin effect: a person who has helped another person before will be more likely to help them again than if they had been the one who was helped. Subconsciously they reason that if they have helped, they must like the person, and actually start to do so.

7. It makes things easier

One reason I began speaking openly about mental health was purely logistical. When I first thought about speaking publicly on this topic and wrote a proposal for a talk at the Agile Testing Days about it, I was going to say it has been years since I needed therapy or meds. But that was before the world got turned upside down by the pandemic. The threat of the virus, social distancing, and on top of it, having to battle another onset of ill health (this time physical) during the pandemic has been trying and I am considering going back to therapy. If I had never opened up about having struggled with my mental health before, would I be able to say that now? If I ever have to leave the office early to go to therapy, would I try to hide it? I do not know what I would have done, but I know that worrying about it would have taken up a lot of headspace. But now that the band-aid is ripped off, I do not have to think about it any longer.

8. Everybody should know the oxygen mask rule (although many don’t)

My favourite thing about not trying to hide my experience with illness and therapy is that I can now share what I have learned. Sometimes people ask me for the most helpful thing therapy has taught me, and I always tell them about the oxygen mask rule.

One day, my therapist suggested that I needed to stop thinking about how to make others happy and think about how I was treating myself. And it was true; I constantly worried about making my parents proud, being a great girlfriend and a good friend. But to myself I was really mean: constantly nagging, thinking of myself as a loser, starving myself and not taking care of my emotional well-being. I thought as long as I was nice to others that was okay; I even fancied myself rather selfless.

But neglecting your own happiness has nothing to do with selflessness. On a plane, the safety instructions tell you to "put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others," because if you pass out while trying to put a mask on somebody else first, you are no use to anyone. Being kind to yourself and taking care of your emotional well-being is like putting on that oxygen mask. It is not only not selfish, it is your job. Because if you do not take care of yourself, somebody else has to. If you do not make an effort with your mental health, you will have to make an effort with your mental illness. In times of crisis, being kind is essential; to each other, yes, but also never forgetting to be kind to yourself. Give yourself air to breathe.

Talking about mental health is more important than ever.

It is about time we all get used to talking about mental health. The number of people who suffer from depression and other mental health issues has been high for years, and it will only get worse.  Long after this pandemic is over, we will still have to deal with the psychological aftermath of social distancing and not hugging people, not to mention living with existential dread for months on end. These are horrible, stressful times we live in, and they are taking a toll on even the strongest of characters.

Not many will come out of this with their psyche unscathed; some will need psychological help. But not everyone will be able to get it. Some will be too ashamed, and some will not see the symptoms as symptoms. So talking about the warning signs, about what you can do to look after your own mental health and where and how you can get professional help is more important than ever.

Thankfully, mental illness is much more openly discussed now than it was thirty years ago. But the way we talk about mental illness is still influenced by taboo, stigma and stereotypes. "Mentally ill" is something that is said about "lone wolf shooters," while in truth, the vast majority of mentally ill people are people like you and me. Odds are, you know someone who is, but maybe you don’t even know that they are. How often do people say, "I'm sorry I haven't called. I’ve been too depressed and anxious. I'm a bit better now. Let’s have coffee!"?

Talking is both the hardest and the easiest thing you can do to change the experience of patients who suffer from mental disorders. It takes some guts to speak up, but once you do, you can help other people just by talking and they can help you in turn.

I first wrote these notes for a talk at the Agile Testing Days. Days before the conference, I was incredibly nervous. What if everything I had to say was banal? What if nobody wanted to listen? But the conference taught me otherwise. The feedback I received had me alternately crying and beaming with happiness. People approached me, saying how important they thought my words were, how they had made them think and even cry and how they had resonated with them.

Many have had similar experiences with both mental illness and with fear of being stigmatized for it. But nobody should have to suffer alone and in silence. This is why I no longer hide my history; I was lucky enough to have been met with a lot of kindness, understanding and support. This puts me in the comfortable position to be able to pay it forward.

I now realize that with every person who speaks openly about mental illness, we can chisel away a tiny little bit of the walls of taboo and shame that surround the issue. Looking back at my younger self- lost, scared and ashamed- I know that it would have made a difference if these walls had not been there. So let us normalize talking about mental health and mental illness, bit by bit.

About the Author

Sophie Küster studied mathematics at university which did not go as planned. She finished with a diploma nonetheless. Now she works happily as an agile tester at cronn GmbH in Bonn. No stranger to the universe’s gut punches, she is passionate about mental health and raising awareness and communication. She recently celebrated her first conference speaking engagement at the Agile Testing Days.

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Sustainable development requires global awareness and local action, development and cooperation, entwicklung und zusammenarbeit, “there is no health without mental health”.

Katja Dombrowski

In order to be clinically relevant, a mental problem must be associated with suffering, such as physical pain, or with impairment, for example an inability to work. Deviation from social norms in itself is not what matters. Most people are not homosexual, for example, but those who are homosexual are not sick in medical terms. For obvious reasons, their mental health tends to suffer seriously in countries where they are harassed or even persecuted. The situation is much better in more tolerant societies. By contrast, the suffering and impairment of schizophrenics is not rooted in stigmatisation – but their condition often leads to exclusion.

What causes mental disorders is not fully understood. Several factors matter, including genetics, social context, family backgrounds and stress. Even traumatic experiences or severe crises do not necessarily lead to lasting psychological suffering, depending on how resilient affected persons are.

Eating disorders are a good example for cultural determinants. Mostly young women in western societies are affected. Anxiety disorders, however, are particularly common in stressful environments that are marked, for example, by work pressure, poverty, violence or living in crowded urban spaces. Substance abuse, of course, is related to these things too.

Almost everywhere in the world, mental illnesses are taboo. Affected people are said to be victims of witchcraft or possessed by evil spirits. Sometimes, society blames the patients themselves for their condition. Certain mental disorders are accompanied by peculiar or aggressive behaviour. Those who display such behaviour, are likely to encounter hatred, contempt or fear. In many places, common responses to aggressive, uncontrolled behaviour or even severe depression are still electroshocks, beatings or locking up.

Where ghosts and demons, witchcraft and divine punishment serve to explain psychological suffering, people are likely to resort to metaphysical cures as well. For ages, people have depended on traditional healers and spiritual leaders who perform rites, ceremonies and exorcism. Science-based psychiatric methods and psychotherapy are much less practiced in many parts of the world.

Mental disorders are on the rise globally. Usually, they cannot be cured entirely, but therapy is often very helpful. Making it available to those in need should be high on the development agenda. Those who suffer mental illnesses all too often are unable to deal with everyday tasks. They underperform in terms of education, work and social life. The World Health Organization (WHO) states: “There is no health without mental health.” Accordingly, the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) about health and wellbeing explicitly includes mental health. Achieving it will require much more work on emerging health priorities such as mental health, according to the WHO.

Katja Dombrowski is member of the editorial team of D+C Development and Cooperation / E+Z Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit. [email protected]

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Mental health: overcoming the stigma of mental illness.

False beliefs about mental illness can cause significant problems. Learn what you can do about stigma.

Stigma is when someone views you in a negative way because you have a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that's thought to be, or actually is, a disadvantage (a negative stereotype). Unfortunately, negative attitudes and beliefs toward people who have a mental health condition are common.

Stigma can lead to discrimination. Discrimination may be obvious and direct, such as someone making a negative remark about your mental illness or your treatment. Or it may be unintentional or subtle, such as someone avoiding you because the person assumes you could be unstable, violent or dangerous due to your mental illness. You may even judge yourself.

Some of the harmful effects of stigma can include:

• Reluctance to seek help or treatment
• Lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers or others
• Fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding housing
• Bullying, physical violence or harassment
• Health insurance that doesn't adequately cover your mental illness treatment
• The belief that you'll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can't improve your situation

Steps to cope with stigma

Here are some ways you can deal with stigma:

• Get treatment. You may be reluctant to admit you need treatment. Don't let the fear of being labeled with a mental illness prevent you from seeking help. Treatment can provide relief by identifying what's wrong and reducing symptoms that interfere with your work and personal life.
• Don't let stigma create self-doubt and shame. Stigma doesn't just come from others. You may mistakenly believe that your condition is a sign of personal weakness or that you should be able to control it without help. Seeking counseling, educating yourself about your condition and connecting with others who have mental illness can help you gain self-esteem and overcome destructive self-judgment.
• Don't isolate yourself. If you have a mental illness, you may be reluctant to tell anyone about it. Your family, friends, clergy or members of your community can offer you support if they know about your mental illness. Reach out to people you trust for the compassion, support and understanding you need.
• Don't equate yourself with your illness. You are not an illness. So instead of saying "I'm bipolar," say "I have bipolar disorder." Instead of calling yourself "a schizophrenic," say "I have schizophrenia."
• Join a support group. Some local and national groups, such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), offer local programs and internet resources that help reduce stigma by educating people who have mental illness, their families and the general public. Some state and federal agencies and programs, such as those that focus on vocational rehabilitation and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), offer support for people with mental illness.
• Get help at school. If you or your child has a mental illness that affects learning, find out what plans and programs might help. Discrimination against students because of a mental illness is against the law, and educators at primary, secondary and college levels are required to accommodate students as best they can. Talk to teachers, professors or administrators about the best approach and resources. If a teacher doesn't know about a student's disability, it can lead to discrimination, barriers to learning and poor grades.
• Speak out against stigma. Consider expressing your opinions at events, in letters to the editor or on the internet. It can help instill courage in others facing similar challenges and educate the public about mental illness.

Others' judgments almost always stem from a lack of understanding rather than information based on facts. Learning to accept your condition and recognize what you need to do to treat it, seeking support, and helping educate others can make a big difference.

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• StigmaFree me. National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Take-the-stigmafree-Pledge/StigmaFree-Me. Accessed April 25, 2017.
• What is stigma? Why is it a problem? National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/stigmafree. Accessed April 25, 2017.
• Stigma and mental illness. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/basics/stigma-illness.htm. Accessed April 25, 2017.
• Sickel AE, et al. Mental health stigma: Impact on mental health treatment attitudes and physical health. Journal of Health Psychology. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1359105316681430. Accessed April 25, 2017.
• Americans with Disabilities Act and mental illness. Womenshealth.gov. https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/your-rights/americans-disability-act.html. Accessed April 25, 2017.
• Picco L, et al. Internalized stigma among psychiatric outpatients: Associations with quality of life, functioning, hope and self-esteem. Psychiatric Research. 2016;246:500.
• The civil rights of students with hidden disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/hq5269.html. Accessed May 2, 2017.
• Wong EC, et al. Effects of stigma and discrimination reduction trainings conducted under the California Mental Health Services Authority. Rand Health Quarterly. 2016;5:9.

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Why We’re in a New Era of Mental Health Authenticity

Ten years ago, mental health was something few people talked about in the public eye—unless you count the faux-concerned speculation that followed outbursts like Britney Spears' shaved-head, caught-on-film breakdown. But lately, it seems there's a new openness about the topic from stars of all stripes (be it  Selena Gomez , Lady Gaga ,  Demi Lovato , or  Amanda Seyfried ), making it okay—and even encouraged—to be vocal about issues like depression and anxiety.

"There's a cultural movement going on in terms of transparency and authenticity," says Katrina Gay, national director of communications and public affairs at National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). "As more celebs come out and get a supportive response, it's encouraging other people to do so, too—and the truth is, people need support and understanding to be their best selves."

"There's a cultural movement going on in terms of transparency and authenticity."

The Good Place star  Kristen Bell  has emerged as one of the most badass voices out there, talking openly about what it's like to live with depression ("you feel like there is no sunlight around you, or you are paralyzed with fear" she said in a YouTube video last year), and encouraging others to get help. The response? "Almost on a daily basis I hear that that was impactful," she tells Well+Good.

"I present a very bubbly persona and I feel I have a responsibility to round out the story and tell people what actually happens in a human being’s life, that nobody is always happy. There are certainly days where I feel awful, or I’m crying, or I’m irritable. And there are ways to get yourself out of it—there are thousands of ways," she notes.

She's right:  One in five adults in the US deal with mental health issues —so to treat these issues as taboo not only seems outdated, but unfair.

So what's fueling today's keep-it-real era of mental health? And what impact does it have on those who aren't household names? Here, we investigate.

Hollywood is no longer encouraging silence

Gay points out that until recently, actors and actresses couldn't admit that they had a mental health condition—it would inhibit their chances of getting work and lead to some seriously exploitative press coverage. Gay cites Spears as a perfect example: "It was unsupportive and unhealthy how she was treated by the media."

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Just as today it's socially acceptable to chat with your friends about holistic ways to improve mental health (like diet , mindfulness , and supplements ), so too has there become more openness among stars.

Today, celebs like Kristen Stewart are talking to reporters about their challenges (in her case, debilitating anxiety and panic attacks that began at age 15). And people are giving celebs slack and realizing that they're taking breaks to work on their wellness, according to Gay.

Your inner critic is (hopefully) giving you a break

There's more to this than just positive press for the starlet in question; seeing celebs get real about their issues on TV and through social media can help others let go of what Gay calls the internal stigma, "which is when we're judging ourselves and rejecting our own self as being 'less than' because we have this struggle. And I'm seeing that shifting."

Holistic psychiatrist Meredith Bergman, MD, says this is happening in her New York City practice as well. "Celebrities coming forward about their mental health issues helps to disseminate information to a wide audience and also serves to dissolve some of this stigma. This can diffuse shame and inspire people to come forward and ask for the help they need."

Bell, in her typical no-nonsense way, thinks it's strange that depression and anxiety would ever be hidden from view. "It's a brain-functioning issue, and you want people to get the help where they need it," she says. "Mental health should be like going to the dentist."

Knowing you're not alone gives you courage

The ongoing public conversation surrounding mental health has important implications. "[Mental illness] can be incredibly isolating, and very hard to deal with alone," explains Gay. "The role of community and support is oftentimes what makes the difference."

Dr. Bergman agrees, noting that celebs "have a platform and voice to educate the public about mental health disorders and empower people who might not otherwise seek medical care. I can't say that it's ultimately related, but I have received more referrals than ever of young women who are finally ready to face eating disorders, PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, alcoholism, and panic disorders."

And as long as the positive dialogue surrounding mental health continues, Gay believes that it helps. "It needs to be part of the conversation," she adds. "The consequences of not doing so are tremendous. Sixty million Americans are impacted—that's a lot."

Being honest is its own way of advocacy, after all. So here's to mental health realness—with no secrets and no shame. Because as Bell points out, "Would you ever deny a diabetic his insulin? Then why would you ever deny someone who is in need of mental health help any help at all? It doesn’t make sense."

Ellie Goulding is another star whose frankness is helping shed light on anxiety— here, she writes about how fitness helped her panic attacks . And did you know that depression and anxiety affect the body differently ?

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Mental Health Essay

Introduction

Mental health, often overshadowed by its physical counterpart, is an intricate and essential aspect of human existence. It envelops our emotions, psychological state, and social well-being, shaping our thoughts, behaviors, and interactions. With the complexities of modern life—constant connectivity, societal pressures, personal expectations, and the frenzied pace of technological advancements—mental well-being has become increasingly paramount. Historically, conversations around this topic have been hushed, shrouded in stigma and misunderstanding. However, as the curtains of misconception slowly lift, we find ourselves in an era where discussions about mental health are not only welcomed but are also seen as vital. Recognizing and addressing the nuances of our mental state is not merely about managing disorders; it's about understanding the essence of who we are, how we process the world around us, and how we navigate the myriad challenges thrown our way. This essay aims to delve deep into the realm of mental health, shedding light on its importance, the potential consequences of neglect, and the spectrum of mental disorders that many face in silence.

Importance of Mental Health

Mental health plays a pivotal role in determining how individuals think, feel, and act. It influences our decision-making processes, stress management techniques, interpersonal relationships, and even our physical health. A well-tuned mental state boosts productivity, creativity, and the intrinsic sense of self-worth, laying the groundwork for a fulfilling life.

Negative Impact of Mental Health

Neglecting mental health, on the other hand, can lead to severe consequences. Reduced productivity, strained relationships, substance abuse, physical health issues like heart diseases, and even reduced life expectancy are just some of the repercussions of poor mental health. It not only affects the individual in question but also has a ripple effect on their community, workplace, and family.

Mental Disorders: Types and Prevalence

Mental disorders are varied and can range from anxiety and mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder to more severe conditions such as schizophrenia.

• Depression: Characterized by persistent sadness, lack of interest in activities, and fatigue.
• Anxiety Disorders: Encompass conditions like generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and specific phobias.
• Schizophrenia: A complex disorder affecting a person's ability to think, feel, and behave clearly.

The prevalence of these disorders has been on the rise, underscoring the need for comprehensive mental health initiatives and awareness campaigns.

Understanding Mental Health and Its Importance

Mental health is not merely the absence of disorders but encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Recognizing the signs of deteriorating mental health, like prolonged sadness, extreme mood fluctuations, or social withdrawal, is crucial. Understanding stems from awareness and education. Societal stigmas surrounding mental health have often deterred individuals from seeking help. Breaking these barriers, fostering open conversations, and ensuring access to mental health care are imperative steps.

Conclusion: Mental Health

Mental health, undeniably, is as significant as physical health, if not more. In an era where the stressors are myriad, from societal pressures to personal challenges, mental resilience and well-being are essential. Investing time and resources into mental health initiatives, and more importantly, nurturing a society that understands, respects, and prioritizes mental health is the need of the hour.

• World Leaders: Several influential personalities, from celebrities to sports stars, have openly discussed their mental health challenges, shedding light on the universality of these issues and the importance of addressing them.
• Workplaces: Progressive organizations are now incorporating mental health programs, recognizing the tangible benefits of a mentally healthy workforce, from increased productivity to enhanced creativity.
• Educational Institutions: Schools and colleges, witnessing the effects of stress and other mental health issues on students, are increasingly integrating counseling services and mental health education in their curriculum.

In weaving through the intricate tapestry of mental health, it becomes evident that it's an area that requires collective attention, understanding, and action.

  Short Essay about Mental Health

Mental health, an integral facet of human well-being, shapes our emotions, decisions, and daily interactions. Just as one would care for a sprained ankle or a fever, our minds too require attention and nurture. In today's bustling world, mental well-being is often put on the back burner, overshadowed by the immediate demands of life. Yet, its impact is pervasive, influencing our productivity, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Sadly, mental health issues have long been stigmatized, seen as a sign of weakness or dismissed as mere mood swings. However, they are as real and significant as any physical ailment. From anxiety to depression, these disorders have touched countless lives, often in silence due to societal taboos.

But change is on the horizon. As awareness grows, conversations are shifting from hushed whispers to open discussions, fostering understanding and support. Institutions, workplaces, and communities are increasingly acknowledging the importance of mental health, implementing programs, and offering resources.

In conclusion, mental health is not a peripheral concern but a central one, crucial to our holistic well-being. It's high time we prioritize it, eliminating stigma and fostering an environment where everyone feels supported in their mental health journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the primary focus of a mental health essay?

Answer: The primary focus of a mental health essay is to delve into the intricacies of mental well-being, its significance in our daily lives, the various challenges people face, and the broader societal implications. It aims to shed light on both the psychological and emotional aspects of mental health, often emphasizing the importance of understanding, empathy, and proactive care.

• How can writing an essay on mental health help raise awareness about its importance?

Answer: Writing an essay on mental health can effectively articulate the nuances and complexities of the topic, making it more accessible to a wider audience. By presenting facts, personal anecdotes, and research, the essay can demystify misconceptions, highlight the prevalence of mental health issues, and underscore the need for destigmatizing discussions around it. An impactful essay can ignite conversations, inspire action, and contribute to a more informed and empathetic society.

• What are some common topics covered in a mental health essay?

Answer: Common topics in a mental health essay might include the definition and importance of mental health, the connection between mental and physical well-being, various mental disorders and their symptoms, societal stigmas and misconceptions, the impact of modern life on mental health, and the significance of therapy and counseling. It may also delve into personal experiences, case studies, and the broader societal implications of neglecting mental health.

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Exploring the Mental Health Stigma in Black Communities

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Akeem Marsh, MD, is a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist who has dedicated his career to working with medically underserved communities.

Verywell / Laura Porter

Beliefs About Mental Illness

Community stigma, breaking down the stigma.

While Black Americans experience a wide range of attitudes toward mental health treatment, there’s a stigma surrounding mental illness that prevents some people from getting help.

It’s important to consider how the stigma —and the forces that create the stigma—may make it difficult for individuals to reach out to a mental health professional.  

Some communities accept the idea that mental illnesses are health problems that require treatment. But in other communities, there’s a serious stigma that implies a mental health problem is a sign of weakness and should be kept hidden from others.

Beliefs about mental illness are formed through experience, cultural traditions, and formal education. Stories from friends and family also play a role.

If family members talk about a “crazy” uncle who had to get hospitalized, younger generations may grow to believe that having a mental illness means you can’t function in society.

Similarly, if someone who commits a crime is said to have a mental illness, it may perpetuate the belief that individuals with mental illness are violent. Anyone that commits a crime or displays some type of undesired “bad” behavior would be stigmatized as having a mental illness or along that spectrum, which isn’t necessarily true.

These types of beliefs reinforce the idea that mental illness is shameful.

Ideas about mental illness that may reinforce the stigma include beliefs about:

• Identity: This addresses the symptoms of a mental illness. Does someone believe symptoms of depression are a normal part of life? Do they think symptoms surrounding anxiety are a sign of a physical health issue?
• Cause: Do symptoms stem from a spiritual weakness, personal weakness, or character defect? Or, can anyone develop a mental illness the same way they might develop a physical health issue?  
• Timeline: This refers to beliefs about whether an illness is acute, cyclic, or chronic. So someone might assume depression should resolve within a certain time period or they may believe anxiety lasts a lifetime in all cases.
• Consequences: Do individuals think that untreated mental illness has consequences? Or do they think that mental illness serves a helpful purpose (like depression sparks creativity)?
• Controllability: How much does an individual trust that an illness can be treated? Do they think it can be cured or do they believe that treatment won’t help?

There are many cultural factors, societal pressures, and stereotypes that may influence beliefs about mental health in the Black community.

Additionally, issues like systemic racism and the lack of culturally sensitive treatment by providers may also play a role in the way the Black community views mental illness and treatment. It is not normalized in the way that it should be. People often view it as a personal and/or moral defect. As a result, the mental health field is viewed along the same lines as the other systems that have caused substantial harm to Black people.

Factors That Affect Mental Health

The Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health reports that Black adults in the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report symptoms of emotional distress, such as sadness, hopelessness, and feelings that everything is an effort.  

Individuals in the Black community likely experience distressing events that affect their mental health. Racism, discrimination, and inequity affect a person’s psychological well-being. The stress may increase a person’s risk of mental illness. Some experiences may even be traumatizing.

Financial problems tend to increase the chances of an individual will experience serious psychological distress. Black adults who live below the poverty line are two times more likely to report serious psychological distress than those living above it.

It is also important to remember that these social determinants of health are all layered, with racism adding in another substantial layer.

Mental Health Treatment Disparities

Only 1 in 3 Black Americans who could benefit from mental health treatment receive it. This may be in part due to the disparities in mental health treatment .  

Black individuals often lack access to culturally competent care. As a result, the treatment they receive is often poorer.

Black individuals are less frequently included in research, which means their experiences with symptoms or treatments are less likely to be taken into consideration.

They’re also more likely to go to the emergency room or talk to their primary care physician when they’re experiencing mental health issues, rather than seeing a mental health professional.  

Black individuals are also more likely to be misdiagnosed by treatment providers. This can fuel the distrust toward mental health professionals as a misdiagnosis can lead to poor treatment outcomes.  

Contributing to the disparities is the fact that Blacks are more likely to have involuntary treatment, whether it is forced inpatient or outpatient treatment. This contributes to the stigma, hostility, and lack of willingness to voluntarily seek care.  

Much of the research has found that the Black community has a high degree of stigma associated with mental illness. In the 1990s, a public opinion poll found that 63% of African Americans believed depression was a personal weakness and only 31% believed it was a health problem.  

Other studies have found that the Black community is more inclined to say that mental illness is associated with shame and embarrassment. Individuals and families in the Black community are also more likely to hide the illness.  

Individuals in the Black community may be more likely to believe that since they’ve survived so much adversity, they’re strong—and no one has a right to tell them that there is something wrong with them (since they may view a mental health issue as weakness).

Studies that specifically examine the beliefs of Black women are scarce. But, one study found that Black women were more likely to believe that individuals develop depression due to having a “weak mind, poor health, a troubled spirit, and lack of self-love.”  

But not all studies indicate a high degree of stigma among Black women. One study, conducted in 2009,   found that most Black women didn’t have a stigma attached to mental illness. Researchers found that women understood the causes of mental illness, accurately identified many of the symptoms, were aware of the potential consequences, and believed that mental illness could be managed with treatment and personal motivation.

Many of the women in the study identified a variety of positive coping skills. In addition to saying they would seek treatment, they also identified faith, prayer, and support from friends and family as go-to coping strategies.  

Reducing the stigma could increase the likelihood that individuals with mental health issues will seek treatment. Treatment could help them live happier, more fulfilling lives.

Breaking down the stigma will likely involve a two-pronged approach; increasing the number of culturally competent providers and changing the narrative surrounding mental illness. 

Education surrounding mental illness and normalizing mental health problems may help individuals recognize that treatment for a mental health problem doesn’t have to be any more shameful than treatment for a physical health problem.

It’s also important for mental health treatment providers to be equipped to care for individuals in the Black community. Culturally competent therapists and psychiatrists could help ease mistrust and provide better care.

The publication of some recent books may help reduce the mental health stigma among African Americans. Some titles include: 

• The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help you Deserve 
• Community Mental Health Engagement with Racially Diverse Populations
• Mind Matters: A Resource Guide to Psychiatry for Black Communities (Volume 1)
• Black Mental Health: Patients, Providers, and Systems

There are also podcasts and influencers on social media who are helping break down the stigma. Rappers have made a number of songs discussing mental health issues, including G Herbo, Polo G, and Quando Rondo. Other celebrities have used their platforms for awareness-raising and tackling some of the issues. 

There are also culturally relevant apps and websites that people can turn to for advice, resources, and even online therapy. All of these things are contributing to reducing stigma among African Americans.

A Word From Verywell

If you are experiencing a decline in your mental health or you suspect you may have symptoms of a mental illness, reach out to someone. You might start by talking to your doctor about treatment options.

If you suspect a loved one is experiencing a mental health issue, talk to them. Open conversations about mental health can help break down the stigma and encourage more people to seek help. 

Ward EC, Heidrich SM. African American women's beliefs about mental illness, stigma, and preferred coping behaviors . Res Nurs Health. 2009;32(5):480-492. doi:10.1002/nur.20344

Mental Health and Behavioral Health - African Americans . U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health. 

2018 NSDUH Detailed Tables . SAMHSA. 

Diversity and Health Equity Education . American Psychiatric Association. 

Bell CC, Jackson WM, Bell BH. Misdiagnosis of African-Americans with Psychiatric Issues - Part II . J Natl Med Assoc. 2015;107(3):35-41. doi:10.1016/S0027-9684(15)30049-3

Lynch HT. Involuntary hospitalization and bias against marginalized groups . SURJ: The Standford Undergraduate Research Journal . 2019;18(1).

Thompson-Sanders VL, Bazile A, Akbar M. African Americans' perceptions of psychotherapy and psychotherapists . Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 2004;35(1):19–26.

DeFreitas SC, Crone T, DeLeon M, Ajayi A. Perceived and personal mental health stigma in latino and african american college students .  Front Public Health . 2018;6:49 doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00049

Fripp JA, Carlson RG. Exploring the influence of attitude and stigma on participation of african american and latino populations in mental health services .  Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development . 2017;45(2):80-94. doi:10.1002/jmcd.12066

By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

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Why Is Mental Health Still a Taboo, and What Can We Do About It

Mental health is still a taboo topic and one that is largely ignored. It’s not just in the industry of mental health; it’s throughout society as a whole. This lack of awareness and understanding about mental health can have serious consequences for both people who suffer from mental illness and for the people around them. In this blog post, we will explore some of the reasons why mental health is still a taboo topic and what you can do to begin to change that. 

Mental Health vs. Physical Health

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Physical health is just as important as mental health. Physical health is the state of our bodies and includes everything from our physical appearance to our overall fitness level. Just like mental health, physical health can have a big impact on our quality of life.

Mental health is still a taboo topic, and for a good reason. It doesn’t receive the same level of attention as physical health, and it’s seen as less important. But mental health is just as important as physical health, and we need to start talking about it more.

Mental health disorders are serious problems that can lead to long-term consequences. They include conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, which are all major causes of disability. Mental health problems affect both men and women equally, and they can happen at any age.

We need to start talking about mental health problems in schools. It’s important for kids to know that mental health is just as valid as physical health. They should be able to talk about their feelings without feeling embarrassed or ashamed.

We also need to start talking about mental health problems in the workplace. If employees feel comfortable talking about their mental health issues, it will help them get the support they need. And it will also reduce the amount of stress that goes on in the workplace.

So which one is more important? That’s tough to say. They both play an important role in our lives, and neither should be ignored.

The Stigma of Mental Illness

Mental illness is still widely thought of as a taboo topic. This stigma can have negative impacts on people with mental illness, their families and friends, and the wider community.

People with mental illness are often seen as weak, crazy, or dangerous. This stigma can make it hard for people to get the help they need and can lead to discrimination in employment, housing, and social interactions.

There are a number of reasons why mental illness is so stigmatized. One is that it’s often invisible; people with mental illness may not look any different from anyone else on the outside. This can make it hard for people to understand that someone may be struggling with a serious condition that requires treatment.

Another reason for the stigma is that mental illness is often associated with violence. This is largely due to media portrayals of people with mental illness as dangerous criminals. In reality, people with mental illness are far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators.

The stigma around mental illness can also make it difficult for people to talk about their experiences openly. Many fear that they will be judged or misunderstood if they speak out about their struggles. This silence only reinforces the misconceptions and prejudices that fuel the stigma.

It’s important to remember that Mental Illness Is Not A Crime! People with mental illness are not inherently violent or dangerous. In fact, they are more likely to be the victims of violence than perpetrators. The stigma around mental illness is harmful and needs to be addressed.

The Reasons Why Mental Health Is Still a Taboo

Mental health is still a taboo topic for many reasons. Here are some of the most common reasons:

1) Mental health is seen as a weakness.

Mental health problems are often seen as a sign of weakness. This can be especially true for men, who are often expected to be “strong” and “tough.” This stigma can make it difficult for people to seek help for mental health issues.

2) Mental illness is still misunderstood.

There is still a lot of misunderstanding about mental illness. People may not know what it really is or how to spot the signs. This can make it hard to talk about mental health openly.

3) People are afraid of being labeled.

There is a fear that if you talk about mental health problems, you will be labeled as crazy or unstable. This label can be very damaging and make it even harder to get help.

4) Mental health isn’t taken seriously enough.

Mental health is often treated as a minor issue. This can lead to people not getting the help they need.

5) Mental health problems are often kept secret.

People often keep their mental health problems secret out of embarrassment or fear of being laughed at. This can make it very difficult to get the support you need.

6) Mental health problems are often untreated.

Many people don’t bother to seek help because they believe that their problem is minor or will go away on their own. This can lead to serious problems getting worse and even death.

7) Mental health problems are often not covered by insurance.

Many mental health problems are not covered by insurance. This can make it very expensive and difficult to get the help you need.

What We Can Do to Break Taboo

There are many ways to break the taboo on mental health. Here are some ideas:

1. Education and awareness

One of the best ways to break the taboo on mental health is through education and awareness. This can be done in schools, workplaces, and communities. By educating people about mental health, we can help remove the stigma attached to it.

2. Open discussion

Another way to break the taboo on mental health is by having open discussions about it. This can be done in family settings, among friends, or even in public forums. By talking about mental health openly and honestly, we can help reduce the stigma attached to it.

3. Promote positive portrayals of mental illness

Too often, mental illness is portrayed negatively in the media. This contributes to the stigma attached to it. We can help break the taboo on mental health by promoting positive portrayals of mental illness in the media. This includes films, television shows, books, articles, etc., that show mentally ill characters in a positive light.

4. Increase funding for mental health research

One of the best ways to break the taboo on mental health is by increasing funding for mental health research. This can be done through private donations, public donations, or via tax incentives. By funding mental health research, we can help increase our understanding of the condition and find new ways to treat it.

5. Encourage mental health professionals to speak out

Mental health professionals are often the ones who have the most knowledge about mental illness. They should be encouraged to speak out about the importance of breaking the taboo on mental health. This can be done in various ways, including through social media, articles, etc.

The Challenges of Treating Mental Illness

Mental illness is a complex and serious issue that can be difficult to treat. There are many factors that contribute to the challenges of treating mental illness, including the often stigma associated with mental health issues, the complexities of diagnosing and treating mental illness, and the fact that mental health problems can be caused by a variety of factors.

One of the biggest challenges in treating mental illness is the stigma that surrounds it. Mental health issues are still often seen as taboo, and people who suffer from them can be reluctant to seek help for fear of being labeled or judged. This stigma can make it difficult for people to get the treatment they need, as they may be embarrassed or ashamed to admit that they have a problem.

Another challenge in treating mental illness is the complexity of diagnosing and treating these conditions. Mental illnesses are often multi-faceted, and there is not always a clear line between what is considered “normal” behavior and what is indicative of an underlying problem. This can make it difficult to identify when someone is suffering from a mental health issue and also makes finding an effective treatment challenging.

Additionally, because mental health problems can be caused by a variety of factors (including biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors), it can be hard to treat them completely or completely rid someone of the underlying cause.

Finally, mental health problems can often be long-term and chronic, and they can significantly impact a person’s quality of life. It can be difficult to manage these conditions effectively on your own, and in some cases, treatment may require the help of a therapist or other professional.

The Importance of Early Detection and Treatment

Mental illness is a serious problem that can have a profound impact on a person’s life. Early detection and treatment of mental illness can make a big difference in the course of the illness and the outcome.

Mental illnesses are often chronic, meaning they last for a long time and can be difficult to treat. Early detection and treatment can help prevent the progression of the illness and improve the chances of recovery. In some cases, early intervention can even prevent mental illness from developing in the first place.

There are many different types of mental illness, each with its own symptoms and course. Some common types of mental illnesses include depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addiction disorders. Mental illnesses can be caused by genetic factors, brain chemistry imbalances, or trauma.

Symptoms of mental illness can vary depending on the type of disorder present. They may include changes in mood, thinking, or behavior; difficulty functioning at work or school; withdrawal from friends and activities; reduced interest in hobbies or pleasurable activities; excessive worry or fear; persistent sad or empty feelings; feelings of hopelessness or helplessness; angry outbursts; feeling disconnected from reality (psychosis); engaging in risky behaviors; and suicidal thoughts or actions.

There is no single test that can diagnose mental illness, and the diagnosis may be based on a combination of clinical signs and symptoms and related testing.

Mental health is still a taboo topic in many cultures. It’s difficult to open up about your struggles, and it can be even harder to find understanding and support. But that doesn’t mean we should continue to keep silent. We have the power to change the way mental health is viewed, and by doing so, we can help bring about much-needed change both within our own communities and beyond them. Together, let’s start talking about mental health — it might just be the first step on the path to solving one of society’s biggest problems.

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The definition of mental health has been widened so much that it’s now almost meaningless

T he psychiatrist Simon Wessely once said his spirits sank every time there was a mental health awareness week . “We don’t need people to be more aware. We can’t deal with the ones who already are aware,” he said .

Yet awareness spreads and propagates, even as queues outside psychiatrist offices trail around the block. This year’s big week, run by the Mental Health Foundation, starts on Monday. Its theme is anxiety, a disorder affecting a quarter of adults, according to the foundation – a statistic that sounds unbelievably large until you read its description of the condition, which seems almost broad enough to take in the full sweep of human experience.

“Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job (or losing one) or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating our home or buying food.”

Britain is certainly more aware than it used to be. Diagnoses have broadened – more of us see grief and stress as mental illnesses than we did a decade ago. Therapy-speak infuses the language: triggering, boundaries, projection, self-care – stiff-upper-lipped Brits have expanded their vocabularies.

This slow medicalisation of our lives has attracted criticism but surveys show it seems to have had a positive effect: discrimination and negative reactions to mental illness are increasingly taboo. People feel able to seek the help they need without risking their jobs, relationships or social lives. Britain’s Time to Change campaign that ran for 14 years to 2021 was shown to have caused a “significant” drop in stigma.

But behind this good news story is something more important. Mental health awareness has its limits. While attitudes towards milder and more common mental health conditions such as anxiety, low mood, stress or burnout have improved, more serious disorders such as schizophrenia and psychosis trail far behind. In fact, when it comes to schizophrenia, we seem to be getting less enlightened. A study of 10,000 people spanning the three decades to 2020 found that by nearly all measures, stigma towards the disorder had worsened. People were less likely to want someone with schizophrenia as a housemate or co-worker than in 1990. They felt more fear and less desire to help.

Other research backs this up. Some 88% of people with severe mental illness say they experience stigma. Few people would recommend someone living with schizophrenia for a job, and even mental health professionals hold negative attitudes towards them . A study last month, meanwhile, found that one in three people living with sufferers of severe mental illness were themselves discriminated against .

Why this hierarchy? These two-track attitudes are everywhere. While nearly all employers acknowledge they have a responsibility towards their staff’s wellbeing, and promote mental health awareness, some 15% of employees still face dismissal or demotion after they reveal their mental health problem. There are also troubling reports that some mental illnesses are being weaponised. The army makes much of its “resilience” training and mental health resources. Yet a report in January alleged that female members of the armed forces who accused their colleagues of rape were being “misdiagnosed” with personality disorders in order to discredit their accounts.

Media coverage does not help the cause of those with psychosis or other severe mental health issues: where they pop up in the news it is to most frequently be associated with (rare) violent incidents. And though psychology and psychiatry have for the last decade gripped the film industry – the traumatic backstory is a staple – psychosis still gets a bad press: it is the stuff of horror films and murder stories. In the United States, meanwhile, a narrative linking mental illness to gun violence is being pushed by some politicians. Following a mass shooting in a mall in Texas this month, Greg Abbott, the Republican governor, deflected pressure for gun control by calling for more mental health resources, defining these problems as the “root cause”.

These narratives are skewed: the connection between violence and mental illness is weak at best. A recent scientific review into the link concluded that, even if psychotic and mood disorders were eliminated, “96% of violent acts would still occur”. But the stigma persists.

Severe mental health disorders are therefore more in need of destigmatisation campaigns but get fewer of them. The theme of last year’s mental health awareness week was loneliness. Previous years have covered nature and mental health, kindness and body image. ITV’s Britain Get Talking campaign last year, Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters, and the NHS Help! campaign all focused on milder conditions, such as low mood and sleep problems, urging people to talk to those around them.

These awareness campaigns seem to work by stretching the concept of mental illness into the realm of common experience – linking anxious feelings to anxiety, or relating depression to the stresses of everyday life. Researchers speculate the recorded improvement in attitudes is due to the less severe images that come to mind when answering survey questions: if everyone has experienced depression, the stigma goes.

But there’s a problem here. It might be that campaigners have not “normalised” mental illness so much as broadened the definition to the point that it includes the mentally well.

If the method of lessening stigma is to consider mental health disorders relatable and “sane”, reactions to a stressful environment, illnesses out of the realm of common experience, such as schizophrenia, are left out. And with so many new anxiety and burnout sufferers, there’s a risk that the severely ill are crowded out of the conversation altogether.

Martha Gill is an Observer columnist

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Why Mental Health Care is Stigmatized in Black Communities

Clinical Associate Professor Ruth White explores the complex social dynamics that create hurdles to mental health care access within black communities, and proposes new approaches to destigmatization.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO),  one in four people  will struggle with a mental illness at some point during their lives. 

In the African American community, mental health issues are often compounded by the psychological stress of systemic racism. As a result, African American adults are  20 percent more likely  to report serious psychological distress than white adults. What’s more, seeking mental health care is stigmatized within many black communities, and just  one in three  African Americans who struggle with mental health issues will ever receive appropriate treatment.

Clinical Associate Professor  Ruth White  specializes in stress management, community-based intervention strategies and mental health advocacy.In honor of  Black History Month , she provides insight into why the mental health stigma persists in black communities—and the social changes needed to eliminate this taboo.

Understanding Barriers to Mental Health Care in Black Communities

In black communities, reluctance to seek both physical and mental health care can often be attributed to a general distrust of the medical establishment. This distrust is not without merit: historically, African Americans have been  misdiagnosed at higher rates  than white patients, and black communities have been  exploited by the U.S. government  and  medical community  in the name of medical advancement.

At the same time, seeking mental health care is often viewed as a weakness, running counter to the survivalist mentality born from systemic oppression and chronic racism. “Much of the pushback against seeking treatment stems from ideas along the lines of: We have survived so much adversity and now someone is going to say that there's something wrong with us,” said White.

White also cites the phenomenon of religiosity that permeates many African American communities. Studies by the Pew Research Center reveal that African Americans are among the most religious of any racial or ethnic group in the United States, with  87 percent reporting a formal religious affiliation . As such, White said, prayer and faith are often seen as a salve for mental health woes and may be favored over formal medical treatment.

Finally, White points to the phenomenon of criminalization of African American behavior, which she frames within the context of the American justice system. Although blacks account for just  13   percent   of the adult population  in the U.S., they make up  33 percent of the sentenced prison population , while whites—who represent 61 percent of the nation’s population—represent only 30 percent of all prisoners. This disparity has stoked the fear that openly acknowledging mental health struggles will be met with harsh legal repercussions rather than needed treatment: “If an African American person with a mental illness acts out in violence, they are much more likely to be criminalized than to be given the opportunity to receive mental health care,” White said.

Overcoming the Mental Health Stigma by Shifting our Cultural Narrative

White believes that effectively destigmatizing mental health care within black communities requires shifting harmful media narratives and removing systematic hurdles to access. 

“It’s crucial that we tell stories that prove that people can overcome mental illness and lead rich, fulfilling, successful lives. This requires a shift in the way we portray mental illness in film, TV shows and the media as a whole,” White said. 

White, who has written about the representation of mental illness in popular media, hopes that mental health care can be reframed to mirror our cultural perceptions of physical health care—as diagnosable, treatable and non-debilitating. She praises celebrities such as Jay-Z, Kerry Washington, Michelle Obama and Gabrielle Union for speaking openly about their positive experiences with therapy and counseling, hoping that these conversations will help to make mental health awareness and acceptance the cultural norm.

She also champions culturally competent care—treatment specifically designed for marginalized populations and led by practitioners who have a firsthand understanding of the unique challenges facing minority communities. She cites  Therapy For Black Girls ,  Henry Health  and the forthcoming Ayana Therapy online platform—which focuses on people of color, LGTBQ communities and the intersectionality between them—as examples of organizations committed to increasing access to culturally competent care.

Increasing Access to Mental Health Care Through Meaningful Policy Change

In addition to shifting the cultural narratives surrounding mental health, the practical considerations of cost and access to care must be considered. Today, there is a  critical shortage of practitioners  that disproportionately affects people of color, while prohibitive insurance and health care costs often make it more challenging for low-income individuals to access needed treatment. This has an outsize impact on African Americans, who have among  the lowest rates of health care insurance  of any ethnic group.

“As a country, we need to make meaningful policy changes that will increase mental health care access for people of color so fewer African Americans will go without the treatment they need,” White said.

Finally, White emphasizes education as a critical tool for destigmatization, pointing to  recent New York state legislation  requiring comprehensive mental health education for all K-12 students.

“If we can raise awareness surrounding mental health from a young age, we can break stigmas and shape this generation to approach mental health in a new, positive way,” she said.

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My Mother Needed Mental Health Treatment. She Got a Jail Cell

I had just arrived back in the States when I got the call. It was January 2004, and after a semester abroad studying literature in Italy, I was as far mentally and geographically as I’d ever had from my mother and 15-year-old brother. I was still thinking in Italian when I got the call from a family friend. My mother had set her house on fire, the friend told me, and was being held in county jail on charges of Felony arson.

A stream of questions ran through my mind, but in the shock, all I said was: “You can’t light your own house on fire?”

My mom’s friend chuckled, deflecting the question’s absurdity. “No honey,” she cooed. “Apparently, that’s a Felony.” I was days away from starting my final semester at college, but I emailed my professors, flew home, and picked my brother up just in time for visiting hours.

In the visiting room, the three of us sat slumped in shell chairs on either side of a plexiglass wall, phone receivers tucked against our ears, oscillating between confusion and heartbreak as my mother recounted what had happened. In a fugue state, she’d set fire to the house, but as it went up in flames, she became lucid. Realizing what she’d done, she called the fire department and ran out of the house. She was waiting on the lawn when they arrived. But instead of being offered care, she was escorted to a squad car and driven 20 minutes up California’s Interstate-5 to the county jail, where she was promptly booked.

What she needed was mental health treatment; what she got was a cell.

Her story isn’t rare. A March 2024 Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) report on women and incarceration concluded that 80% of women in state prisons are mothers, most, primary caretakers; and that 76% of women have past or current mental health problems, a significantly higher rate than men in the same demographic. In the last few decades, women’s incarceration has grown at twice the rate of men. There is hypocrisy in how we treat mothers: As Mother’s Day approaches and we get ready to shower maternal figures with flowers and Hallmark sentiments, we honor, even revere the mother culturally. But single mothers are still stigmatized—both in policy and ideology. Many mothers, particularly single mothers living in poverty or with little safety net or community to bolster them, don’t report warning signs, or even crises when they have them, for fear of losing their children. Asking for help comes at a cost—and is oftentimes simply too dangerous.

Later, I would come to understand that what my mother experienced that day was a psychotic break. It didn’t happen overnight. There had been signs. For years, decades even. In fact, at 20 years old, she’d had a similar break that left her hospitalized for months. By the time my brother and I came along, she was functional enough and privileged enough—white, traditionally attractive, educated, and with a healthy dose of natural charm—to move through the world at will. She wanted to be a mother more than anything and often prized autonomy and her right to parent over stability, choosing to work less so she could be home with us, and moving frequently. Raising us on her own, she scraped by on part-time work, child support, and occasional government assistance. She knew how to slip around the lurking eyes of society looking down on her—on all poor single mothers.

Any single parent bears great weight, but in the U.S., single mothers, femme-presenting, or nonbinary people, shoulder different expectations than fathers or masculine-presenting parents. They experience higher rates of psychological distress, often due to finances. And they are perceived differently. A 2021 Pew Research study tracked American attitudes toward single mothers. In 2018, when asked if women raising children on their own was bad for society, 40% said yes. In 2021, it was 47%. Incremental, but not insignificant as abortion rights are stripped at dizzying rates.

A government that forces people into parenthood and penalizes them when asking for help as the struggle is a no-win cul-de-sac, and for some, it’s not just a U-turn but potential jail time that looms—a risk greatly exacerbated by class and race.

Read More: Mental Illness Made My First Year as a Mom Excruciating. I’m Just Lucky It Wasn’t Worse

According to the PPI report, 2.6 million children have had a parent in jail or prison. The image of my mother in a state-issued orange jumpsuit was dissonant, but for many families it’s the unfortunate outcome of living in a system that criminalizes poverty. A 2022 joint report by the Human Rights Watch and the ACLU on the impacts of family separation, found that families living in poverty, “often have limited, or no access to resources, services, and social supports for the kinds of issues many parents struggle with, such as mental health, relationships, services for children with disabilities, or responding to behavioral issue s .”

My mother told me that when I was young, she had once partaken in free counseling services from a government agency, and soon after, received a home visit from Child Protective Services. She never talked to anyone after that. A parent with the insight to notice warning signs in themselves should be supported not penalized. But the system isn’t well-prepared to assess these situations with nuance. In fact, the HRW/ACLU study found that many caseworkers in the child welfare system, the agency responsible for reporting perceived neglect, don’t have mental health training at all.

Children must be protected. But by stripping a mother’s ability to get help and keep her children at the same time, we put under resourced communities at greater risk of losing their kids for good. In a way, my mother, like many others, endangered us and herself in order to protect our family unit.

After three months, she was released on what’s called a deferred judgment, a ruling that stated if she attended mandated counseling and got into no further legal trouble for three years, her record would be cleared. She’d never been charged before, so it was unlikely to happen again. But if for some reason it had, my mother would have been saddled with a felony record for having a mental breakdown. And with a felony record, would have been less able to find work, increasing the likelihood of continued poverty, and threat of recidivism, thus carrying on the punitive cycle ad infinitum. Still, she was one of the “lucky ones.” What she experienced is increased multifold by mothers of color.

Unfortunately, she died of technically unrelated causes before the three years was up.

Today, my mother has been dead almost 20 years. But every year, around this time, I wonder what it would look like if she had been given the necessary care absent of threat to her parental rights. I wonder how we might center interventions of care and support instead of punitive measures. What if we assumed the best of mothers, first? Mostly, I wonder how we might help parents living with mental illness keep their families intact.

I know there are many opinions and no simple solutions, here. That to move away from punishment and toward compassion and complexity would require not only major policy shifts, but a cultural sea-change in how we understand family and what it means to protect its sanctity and sanity. But when we talk about who deserves help, we must consider what it costs to ask. The price is not the same for everyone.

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Paul Simon Essay Contest winner speaks on mental health

Editor's note: This story mentions a suicide attempt. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the  988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline  by dialing 9-8-8, or the  Crisis Text Line  by texting HOME to 741741.

  A Princeton student recently won the Paul Simon Essay Contest. This essay highlights Illinois community colleges. The student shares how her college embraced her after she returned following a not-so-great start.

Lauren Frost is a student at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Illinois. The contest is sponsored by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association and offers a five-hundred-dollar scholarship. The student must describe, “How My Community College Has Changed My Life.” Frost said she loves writing, but essay writing wasn't a part of her repertoire.

“I'm somebody who likes to use a lot of words, and there was the 500-word limit, and I was like, oh my goodness, I don't know how to like put this all into just 500 words.”

She said she is used to creative writing and has done this since she was a child. The other thing Frost loved to do was play the Trumpet. She said she wasn’t a great player and the other kids often made fun of her.

“And so, I decided, well, I'll go into elementary education just because it was something that, you know, I knew people did. I knew it was a job option,” she said. “And so, I was like, well, I'll go into that. Um, and that didn't work out very well. I didn’t really like the classes that I had, and I didn't have a very big passion for it either. So, um, and along with that, my mental health was definitely declining. I was very depressed.”

She ended that semester with a 0.429 GPA. That was in 2021. She decided to take a break. Frost said things came to a head in May of 2022. At the age of 18, she said she tried to take her life and ended up in the hospital. Frost said after that, she went to therapy to get help.

“I ended up finding out that I had, ADHD, depression, and then, schizotypal personality disorder,” she continued, “dependent personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder, which was quite the diagnosis.”

Frost said she originally noticed something wasn’t right with her mental health when she was in seventh grade. Back then she talked to her friends and parents about her concerns.

“And they'd kind of just chalk it up to being, you know, just like going through puberty,” she said.

Frost said in the fall of 2022 she decided to enroll in IVCC again. This time she took her passion for music and mixed it with something she felt helped her maneuver through life – taking care of her mental health. Her intent was to major in social work. But one of her first classes was music appreciation. She said it set the tone for her and helped her with her anxiety. This led her to pursue an education in music therapy.

“There's always the connection that you make with people when you play music with them, of course. I mentioned that before, but even then, listening to music is like an underrated tool to help,” she explained.

Frost said her mom was the one who told her to submit an essay for the contest. Those paragraphs detailed her journey to wellness and how the college helped with that.

“And to this day, nobody ever comments on, you know, how badly my first semester there went,” she said. “And it’s always just kind of been talking about the future and what happens next.”

Frost said mental health is not talked about the way it should be. She encourages open discussions about mental health and says it is important to speak with a therapist.

Frost is scheduled to read her winning essay at the college’s commencement ceremony on May 18 th .

Mental Health Matters: Understanding the Vital Importance of Emotional Well-being

B eing mentally and emotionally healthy is essential to living a balanced life. Mental health influences how we think, feel, and act in our day-to-day lives, and it can also help determine how well we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. 

While many factors contribute to overall mental health well-being—such as managing stress levels through exercise or using positive coping strategies—all of us need to gain a better understanding of what psychological wellness looks like so that we can take steps towards maintaining an optimal state of mental health both now and in the future. In this article, let’s explore the concept and importance of mental health in greater detail – from recognizing its critical components to discovering how establishing emotional resilience plays a vital role in leading a happy and successful life.

Defining Mental Health and Well-being

Mental health and well-being are essential components of a healthy and fulfilling life, and understanding them is crucial. Mental health encompasses a range of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors and refers to a person’s overall psychological well-being. Similarly, well-being refers to a person’s general state of being happy, healthy, and content with life. Attending a mental health retreat is one way to achieve and maintain mental health and well-being. 

Such a retreat creates a conducive environment where individuals can disconnect from the stressors of daily life and focus on their mental and emotional health. At a mental health retreat , individuals can participate in activities such as meditation, counseling, and relaxation techniques that promote mental wellness and a positive outlook on life. Individuals can lead a fulfilling life, free from stress and anxiety, by prioritizing mental health and well-being.

Investigating the Causes and Risk Factors of Poor Mental Health

There is no single cause of poor mental health, which various factors can influence. Some of these factors include biological, environmental, and psychological influences. For example, genetics and brain chemistry can play a role in developing particular mental illnesses, such as depression or anxiety disorders. Environmental factors like childhood trauma or chronic stress can also contribute to poor mental health. 

Furthermore, certain psychological risk factors—like low self-esteem or negative thinking patterns—can also make individuals more susceptible to developing mental health issues. By understanding these causes and risk factors, we can be better equipped to recognize and address potential challenges to our mental well-being.

Exploring Ways to Improve Your Mental Health  

Just like physical health, mental health requires regular maintenance. There are various ways to improve your mental well-being and promote a positive mindset. These include engaging in activities that bring joy and fulfillment, practicing self-care, maintaining healthy relationships, seeking professional help, and developing coping strategies for managing stress and negative emotions.

Additionally, taking care of our physical health through exercise and a balanced diet can significantly impact our mental well-being. We can improve our mental health and cultivate emotional resilience by prioritizing self-care and adopting healthy habits.

Acknowledging the Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness

Despite the importance of mental health, there is still a significant stigma surrounding mental illness in many societies. It can make it difficult for individuals to seek help and support when needed, leading to further challenges with mental health. It’s essential to recognize that mental illness is just like any other physical illness and requires proper treatment and support from healthcare professionals.

Moreover, educating ourselves and those around us about mental health is crucial to reducing the stigma and promoting a more open and supportive environment for individuals struggling with mental illness. We can encourage people to seek help without fear of judgment or discrimination by breaking down these barriers.

Identifying Resources Available for Those Struggling with Mental Health Issues

Fortunately, many resources are available for individuals struggling with mental health issues. These include therapy and counseling services, support groups, hotlines, self-care apps, and online communities. It’s essential to seek help if you’re experiencing challenges with your mental health and to know that it is okay to ask for support.

Furthermore, employers and educational institutions are also increasingly recognizing the importance of mental health and providing resources for their employees and students. Seeking support from these sources can help individuals manage their mental health more effectively and lead a healthier and happier lives.

Celebrating Those Who Are Working to Eradicate the Taboo of Mental Illnesses

As more awareness is raised about mental health, there are many individuals and organizations working to eradicate the taboo surrounding mental illness and promote open discussions about it. These include mental health advocates, healthcare professionals, support groups, and community organizations.

By celebrating and supporting those making a positive impact in the mental health field, we can continue to break down barriers and create a more understanding and inclusive society. Through collective efforts, we can create a world where mental health is equally important to physical health, and individuals are not afraid to seek help when needed.

In Conclusion

Mental health is an essential aspect of our overall well-being, and it’s crucial to prioritize it in our lives. By being aware of its key components, understanding the causes and risk factors of poor mental health, and exploring ways to improve it, we can lead a healthier and more fulfilling life. It’s also essential to acknowledge the stigma surrounding mental illness and utilize available resources for support. Let us work together to create a world where mental health is given the attention and care it deserves.

The post Mental Health Matters: Understanding the Vital Importance of Emotional Well-being appeared first on Sunny Sweet Days .

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Women at Work, and With Their Families Too

More from our inbox:, mythologizing trump, mentally ill and in prison, say no to more offshore drilling.

To the Editor:

Re “ An Act of Defiance Can Improve Things for Working Moms ,” by Toby Kiers (Opinion guest essay, May 4):

I am a woman nearing the completion of my B.A. in philosophy, and I have the absurd hopes of going on to get my Ph.D. and work in academia and also have a family.

Dr. Kiers’s essay both shed light on the frustrating reality of the discrimination that mothers face in the world of academic research, and provided a shining beacon of hope to counteract it.

The false binary that women are presented and that so many people (including Dr. Kiers’s own child, she noted) assume is that we must decide: our research, our careers, our academic endeavors, or our children. One or the other.

Dr. Kiers has called this out; this is not actually a choice we have to make. Motherhood is not a detriment to our academic abilities and research contributions; it actually strengthens it in new and unexpected ways.

Dr. Kiers, in her refusal to choose between her research pursuits and her family, is helping to forge an exciting path forward. It is a path to a world where women can be celebrated, respected and supported with all that they are and all that they contribute, including their children.

That is the academic world I hope to enter into someday.

Megan Clancy Washington

Kudos to Dr. Toby Kiers! Her story is shared not only by fellow scientists, but by women at large. I admire her courage in bringing her 3-week-old son to work, and in pondering the advice of an older woman who discouraged her from being self-deprecating.

“What can feel like an inconvenience is often a blessing in disguise,” she writes. Amen to that! As far as detachment and vulnerability creating meaning? I now see vulnerability being valued and detachment being questioned in health care, via narrative prose and poetry by nurses and physicians.

I am a seasoned nurse. This article brought me back to the AIDS epidemic. In terms of science, we really had no idea what we were dealing with. I was on maternity leave and had come to know “brain fog” intimately. I received a call asking if I would open a new department for AIDS. After a day thinking about it, I accepted. My two boys went with me into the wilderness of men dying of a virus we knew little about.

My sons are now 40 and 50. The older one still recounts stories of things he learned and joy he felt at a party that those dying men held for us nurses on Mother’s Day. Vulnerability informing the work? You bet!

Pamela Mitchell Bend, Ore.

Since I am a woman who walked across the medical school graduation stage holding my toddler, while eight months pregnant with No. 2, I can certainly identify with Toby Kiers’s essay about managing a career as a scientist while parenting.

It was extremely trying for me to charge into residency with very small children at home. But I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who loved fathering, and was able to take a sabbatical for some of my residency.

As a result, our two daughters, now young adults, are very close to their father. I think that this is the real win in how things are evolving for women in the workplace. Partners get to join in on the nitty-gritty as well as the glorious moments of parenting.

I do believe I missed out on the sort of lovely parenting my mother gave me as a stay-at-home mom. But I was also able to show our daughters what commitment to an intellectual and humanistic goal looks like.

I certainly think medical residency programs are over the top in terms of workload and emotional toll; this needs to evolve. But I think enjoying the participation of both parents in the up-close-and-personal part of child-rearing makes all of our children stronger.

Susan Ferguson Berkeley, Calif.

Re “ Trump Embraces Lawlessness in the Name of a Higher Law ,” by Matthew Schmitz (Opinion guest essay, April 4):

Mythologizing Donald Trump — either Mr. Schmitz fancifully comparing him to outlaws like Robin Hood, Billy the Kid and Jesse James, who titillated people with their challenges to authority, or Christian evangelicals’ even more far-fetched casting of Mr. Trump as King Cyrus or even Jesus — fails because most of us see him for what he is, a narcissist with no positive agenda and no respect for the law.

If we must make comparisons, it’s to David Duke, the Klansman who ran for president, or Gov. George Wallace, standing in the schoolhouse door to block integration. The only people who saw them as rebels with a cause were themselves defending a lost cause, much like those who flock to MAGA now.

Steve Horwitz Moraga, Calif.

Re “ Inmate’s Death Highlights Failures in Mental Health ” (front page, May 6), about the troubled life and death of a prisoner, Markus Johnson:

As a social worker who has worked in the field of mental health for more than 50 years, I read with interest and sadness yet another article about a mentally ill individual who was not provided with adequate treatment and subsequently died in prison.

This article highlights the failure of deinstitutionalization. It demonstrates how our prisons have become the institutions replacing those that formerly housed the mentally ill. Not only are the mentally ill being ill served, but so too is the public, which is at risk of harm from those hallucinating on the streets.

Our shelter system is also not in a position to manage needed services and supervision. The last resort is a cell. I believe that providing long-term residential programs with highly supervised step-down programs would provide a solution to the tragedies we currently read about daily. Certainly the cost would be less than incarceration.

Let’s look to providing real help rather than punishment for our mentally ill population.

Helen Rubel Irvington, N.Y.

“ Offshore Oil Production Expands as Companies Cite Energy Needs ” (Business, May 10) lays out Big Oil’s plan for the Gulf of Mexico. Let’s be real: We’re in a global climate crisis. The last thing we need is for the fossil fuel industry to expand offshore drilling.

If climate change, rising ocean temperatures and the risk of horrific events like the Deepwater Horizon disaster weren’t enough reason to stop offshore oil expansion, we also know that this industry cannot be counted on to clean up its mess when the wells have run dry.

There is a huge backlog when it comes to plugging defunct or abandoned wells, removing old oil platforms and remediating the seafloor damaged by drilling operations. Oil and gas companies have already littered the Gulf of Mexico with more than 18,000 miles of disused pipeline and over 14,000 unplugged wells , which can leak chemicals like methane into the ocean.

It also comes with financial risks: If offshore oil and gas operators file for bankruptcy (as 37 have done since 2009 ), U.S. taxpayers could be forced to foot the bill for cleanup.

Enough is enough: We cannot afford more offshore drilling.

Andrew Hartsig Anchorage The writer is senior director, Arctic conservation, for Ocean Conservancy.