May is Mental Health Awareness Month (or Mental Health Month for short). As someone who goes through life with depression and anxiety, this month is very important to me.
This year, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is spreading awareness about mental illness through the theme “CureStigma,” which is perfect. By now we’ve learned that we can’t cure depression or anxiety or schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or any other mental illness that we still know so little about. We can treat symptoms, but to do that, we need to cure something else: stigma.
Mental illness is shrouded in stigma. Stigma comes in many different forms. It can come from the politician who blames every mass shooting on the “mentally disturbed.” It can come from a movie that unrealistically portrays someone with mental illness. It can even come from your own parent or friend who tells you to just “get over it” instead of helping you get the help you need.
So what’s the big deal about stigma? Well, stigma prevents people with mental health issues from getting treatment. According to NAMI, the average time between onset of symptoms and seeking treatment is 8-10 years. 8-10 years! Imagine waiting 8-10 years before dealing with a broken leg, cancer, or diabetes.
But, it’s common. It probably took me five years before I did something about my extreme fatigue, feelings of hopelessness, and overpowering apathy. And even now that I treat my symptoms and write a blog about my mental illness, I’m still hesitant to share parts of my mental health with others. When someone asks what I write about, I pause before sharing it quietly. When I take a day off because I can’t get out of bed or my anxiety has left me physically sick, I just tell people I have a headache or a cold.
Even though it makes me wildly uncomfortable, I know it’s important to talk about mental illness, which is why I’m not going to shut up this month! I plan to spread the word in-person and online, and I want you to join me.
Here are some easy ways to help #CureStigma:
- Take the StigmaFree Pledge and share it with others.
- Educate yourself (and then others) on how common mental illness is and why it’s so important to create an environment where people can seek treatment without shame.
- Change your social media cover photos and profile pictures to NAMI’s CureStigma graphic.
- Share your story about mental illness.
- Advocate for mental health reform in politics.
- Spread the word on social media with #CureStigma or in real-life conversations.
- Donate to NAMI via my personal campaign.
There you have it. Seven easy ways to make a big difference. I really hope you’ll try at least one of them. Follow me on Twitter this month as I post at least one new fact, article, piece of motivation, or other resource in the fight to #CureStigma.
Anxious Abroad 