stigma: how can we fight it?

As my first post on ellamental, I wanted to address the main reason I started this blog: stigma. Even in todays more progressive environments, there is still an alarming amount of preconceptions and notions about people who live with mental illness that are quite far from the truth. I want to preface this by saying that I am no expert, nor am I a professional in this field. These are merely my own thoughts on the matter and reflections on my lived experiences.

I guess a good place to start would be explaining what stigma is, exactly. Stigma, and more specifically social stigma, are considered to be disapproval and/or discrimination of a person based on a perceived characteristic that makes a person different from others. Commonly, stigma is often related to race, economic and financial status, appearance, age, sexual identity and/or orientation, and health. Stigma can be faced anywhere from the workplace to at home, and has everything to do with the way people perceive each other.

As someone who has lived with mental illness for over 14 years, I can safely say that there are times when people treat me differently once they see the scars on my arm, or once they become aware of the fact that I have a mental illness. I have no doubt that everyone who lives with mental illness has experienced this at some point in their lives. My best example would be when people treat you as if you are delicate or over-sensitive because you live with mental health problems, rather than treating you as an intellectual equal. Stigma can also lead to bullying, something that I experienced throughout my school years because I was perceived as "different" or "weird", given that I lived in a swelteringly hot place and wore long sleeves to hide the wounds I knew my classmates had seen.

Let's delve into the nitty-gritty of stigma and mental illness specifically. Combatting stigma relating to mental illness can be difficult, given that there is no physical manifestation of the illness. Mental health stigma exists because people don't understand mental illness, or they harbour negative views about people who are living with mental illness. A really relevant example of this is linked to toxic masculinity, and the idea that "boys don't cry". According to Beyond Blue, 1 in 8 men will experience depression, and 1 in 5 men will experience anxiety. The idea of "boys don't cry" is an outdated view on masculinity, suggesting that boys or men who express their emotions are considered less manly or feminine in some way. This idea can be considered stigma, as it causes others to treat men differently depending on their method of expressing their emotions.

So, how can we combat stigma against mental illness? Here are some suggestions for how you can break the stigma and preconceptions about people with mental illnesses:

1. Educate people about what mental illness really is. If you have lived experiences with mental illness, then you understand how it feels to be seen as different because of how your brain functions. Discussing your experiences with others who maybe don't understand your perspective can help change a persons perception of mental illness.

2. Be open about your experiences. This is precisely why I started this blog: open conversation and discussion. We need to break the idea that talking about subjects such as mental illness, self harm, eating disorders, and other experiences are taboo. Being open about your experiences will allow others to feel more comfortable sharing their own, and open conversation is vital to education.

3. Your illness is not who you are. Even those who have mental illnesses can have internalised stigma. This is a reminder that your personality and your life is so much more than the mental illness you live with. You are a whole, wonderful human and there's more to you than what happens within your brain (even though it feels like it's a lot!).

4. Never stop learning. There is no such thing as learning too much. As I said before, education is super important and the more you learn about yourself, mental health in general, and others experiences, the less false preconceptions there will be.

I hope that this brain dump has helped with identifying what stigma is, and how we can combat it in our everyday lives. I would like to take this moment to remind you all that you are loved, you are safe, and you are worthy. May your day be wholesome and healthy.

Love,

Ella.