Understanding Mental Wellness: Battling Stigmas

America, the beautiful, has some not-so-beautiful ways of perceiving health problems that surround us. Our country doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to shaming behaviors and that is, to put it lightly, disappointing. Judgemental attitudes, stereotyping, and other negativity can be prominent in certain subcultures. It is extremely important to view both mental health and physical health as intertwined. One cannot be truly healthy if they are facing issues with either.  

Taking the steps to understanding and relating to what a person is going through when they are dealing with cognitive health illness is something that everyone should take into consideration. The simple fact is that people from every age group, from all walks of life, can be challenged by these illnesses. 

Still our country is filled with some social, physical, and mental health stigmas. About 8 million Americans suffer from a severe mental illness and it is estimated that almost half of those cases go untreated. There is headway to be made here, and groups everywhere are trying to reverse these unfortunate socially derogatory behaviors.

For example, community oriented websites such as Stigma Fighters help create a comfortable environment for people with mental health illnesses and offer structured support. Anyone can help support these websites through means of contribution and investments, whether that is through donations or creative input.

It is also important to note that social stigmas exist all over the world. In India for example, there is a very different type of negative connotation towards mental disorders. It is a common belief among some demographics that mental disorders are a result of evil spirits or curses. This is a fairly outlandish claim, but goes to show that stigmas exist everywhere. Indian citizens' overall health may be at stake if they are pressured into believing that their mental health issues are due to supernatural forces.

There are many variables to achieving happiness in the equation of life. Mental health stigmas hinder the solutions we all want. Advocate change in a manner that supports those with mental health illnesses. The world of cognitive instability is often misunderstood and perceived poorly by outsiders who refuse to try to understand.

When American citizens think of who is responsible for crimes in society, they often attribute them to people with mental "problems." This is a huge misconception, and adds to the backwards stigmas that exist. The vast majority of these people are not dangerous. They are patients mistaken for prisoners. It’s easy for people that are cognitively healthy to look right past these issues and continue to take a judgmental and incriminating approach. This is an all around flawed perspective to take.

A social experiment that was set in motion on the streets of Baltimore aimed to answer some questions associated with mental health stigmas. The organization I Am Not Crazy posted this short social experiment video on YouTube. The results may surprise you. Some food for thought:

• Are people with a mental illness more prone to violence than those without one?
• What is the public perception and what are the actual statistics on the relationship between mental illness and violence?
• What percentage of violent crimes do you think are committed by the mentally ill?

This social experiment shows that in general there is a skewed opinion on the ideologies of crime and negativity towards those with mental health illnesses. It is vitally important to not follow this trend.

But what can we do?

Simply put, we can advocate change. Recognize situations where those with mental health illnesses are being unfairly treated. Reverse the stigmas. Don’t allow yourself to think those negative thoughts, because when it comes down to it, this issue is bigger than you might think. Joking about these situations is harmful, and comparisons to criminals are not justifiable. More than anything, realize that stigmas hold zero validity in our society and we can all individually help take a stand against these stigmas. After all, the gateway to true wellness lies within balancing a healthy mind and a healthy body.