What is Mental Health Stigma?
With minority mental health month in full effect, we can all agree that there are factors that hold us back from seeking assistance with our mental health. Emotions ranging from completely comfortable to fearful or indifferent, all these responses are valid. We all come from different cultures and subcultures and oftentimes these groups carry their own mental health stigmas. Here at A Space to Reflect, we strive to provide access to the tools underrepresented communities need to live and thrive mentally.
Stigma is defined as a societal disapproval, or shame placed by society on those who seek help for emotional distress or those who live with a mental illness like anxiety or depression. It is made up of social beliefs about members of a group, the negative attitudes towards that group, and the behaviors that come as a result of those negative attitudes. Stigma can be broken down into three words that most (if not all) minorities have heard or experienced at some point in their lives: discrimination, stereotypes, and prejudices.
Some common stigma tropes are:
Therapy isn’t for Men: This can look like internalized shame stemming from gender roles learned from elder male figures or society as a whole. Males may use phrases such as: “I’m a guy, I’m not supposed to talk about my feelings. That’s so embarrassing.” or “Why talk about my feelings when I can just work out, I’m fine”.
I can’t go to therapy and believe my religious faith: The overlap of mental health practices on faith based cultures has been a tough topic for some time now. People do not believe the two can co-exist. People may say things like: “Why go see a counselor about my issues when I can just pray?” or “I’m okay, I go to confessional every other week. I’m not sure what therapy could help me with.”
I don’t want people to think I’m crazy: Words play a huge role in our society and the stigma around the word “crazy” to describe emotional distress, societal pressure, and even chemical imbalances can be very damaging. This can sound like “therapy is only for crazy people” or “I wouldn’t hurt any one, I’m not some crazy person”.
I was taught not to share my issues with anyone except immediate family: When you grow up in an enmeshed household, you learn early on that outsiders cannot be trusted. You learn to keep secrets and internalize everything. This sounds like: If I go to therapy, this means I am betraying my family”, or “ I feel guilty talking about my family in therapy.”
In reality, there is space in therapy for everyone and all topics. You can talk about your fears when it comes to getting help. You can also choose to only tell people who love and care for you that you are seeking help. Our next blog post will be about what happens when mental health stigma goes unchecked and how to work around that stigma within yourself and your community to seek help when necessary.
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