“I’m not a crazy person!”…. Mental Health Awareness Month: 5 ways to de-stigmatize mental health

Mental health stigma is everywhere. It’s difficult to not stigmatize it, even for myself, a therapist. I have caught myself judging someone or expecting them to “snap out of it.” This stigma has a long history.

After decades of people being thrown into asylums to be outcasted from society and treated inhumanely, a movement grew to improve the state of mental health. In 1949 (thanks to strong advocacy work), May was declared as Mental Health Awareness month. Since then, we have made a lot of progress. Yet today, mental health is still so stigmatized and people with mental health challenges are still treated poorly. This stigma prevents people from getting help, including life-saving help.

One way to honor Mental Health Awareness month is to de-stigmatize mental health within our own communities and families. Let’s de-stigmatize mental health so that more folks can get mental healthcare and live free and happy lives. Here are some ways we can de-stigmatize mental health:

1. Normalize it by talking about your own mental health struggles and healing journeys. *Emotional safety is important, so assess the person/situation first.

2. Language is power…be conscious about the language you use when describing people’s mental health conditions. For example, using terms like “crazy” is stigmatizing. 

3. Love is the answer…show love to those who are struggling. Folks already feel isolated. Support them in any way that feels ok for you. Give empathy and compassion, rather than judgment or criticism.

4. Validate people’s experiences, rather than blame them for their challenges. Use a trauma-informed approach. Mental health conditions are normal responses to abnormal circumstances. They are adaptations to stress. For example, an attitude of "What's wrong with you" is stigmatizing, whereas "what happened to you" is normalizing, validating, and trauma-informed.

5. Face your fears…if you find yourself judging someone’s challenges or situation, reflect on and process your feelings of resentment and underlying fear.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, I invite you to join me in de-stigmatizing mental health. Together, we can create a world where mental health challenges are viewed as normal, where seeking help is as acceptable as seeking help for our physical health. 

I'm Rosina Roibal, a psychotherapist with a lived experience based in Berkeley, California.