Feeling the Sting of Stigma

By: Alberta Mental Health Board

It’s the deep-down, unspoken feelings that hurt the most. The feelings that make us avoid the work colleague who’s been treated for depression. Or ignore the family member who sits alone in a corner, apparently in a different world. Or tiptoe around the child who seems so sullen and angry all the time.

Just as damaging are the stereotypes about people with mental illness: they can’t cope well. They can’t sustain personal relationships. They’re violent and unreliable. They need to snap out of it and get their life in order. Or they just don’t appreciate how good they really have it.

Why is the stigma so pervasive . . . when medical science has long pointed to physical, chemical and even environmental causes of mental illness?

"We know people have an immense fear of ‘losing their minds’," explains psychiatrist Dr. Roger Bland. "It’s a bigger fear for people than losing their hearing or their sight."

Although medical breakthroughs have challenged some of society’s outdated attitudes toward mental illness, we haven’t yet ended the stigma. "It’s still very easy to blame and label people who develop mental illness," says Dr. Pierre Beausejour, Chief of Staff and Director of Provincial Programs the Alberta Mental Health Board.

The stigma experienced by people with mental illness can range from overt (not renting apartments to people with illnesses) to subtle (avoiding "the subject" around a work colleague who’s back from a mental health leave of absence). And although most people try hard to not stigmatize, it’s admittedly hard to "walk the talk."

What’s the best way to start walking the talk?

• Accept that mental illness is real illness. Mental illness is as real as diabetes, cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. It has well known causes and a variety of treatment options.

• Stop associating blame with the illness. Recognize that while people can take care of their physical and mental health, we cannot completely control our destiny. Like diabetes, mental illness can just happen in spite of our best efforts.

• Learn about mental illness. Take the time to learn about mental illness. Learn about the symptoms and treatments. Find out where to get help – in case you or someone you know needs help in the future.

• Stop looking for simple causes. Uncle Joe didn’t develop mental illness because he stopped going to church . . . or because he lost his job . . . or because of his strict mother . . . or because he’s lazy. Accept that mental illness is an illness, and support his efforts to get the best help possible.

• Get to know someone with mental illness. If someone you know develops mental illness, stay close. Ask questions. Don’t abandon or tiptoe around the person. Don’t try to shelter them from living. Be as supportive as you would be to someone with any other illness.

• Watch your language. Stigma starts with labelling. How often do people use the terms "looney," "nuts" or "a few cards shy of a deck?" Don’t let labels dictate how you treat people.

• Open up the discussion at work. Next time someone goes on a mental health leave, make a point of talking about mental illness in the workplace. Take the hush out of it. Challenge workplace policies and practices that are destructive to good mental health.

• Seek health professionals who walk the talk. Look for physicians, counselors and therapists who know how to treat mental illness with dignity, compassion and strength. Make sure your health professionals are committed to managing your physical and mental health – and making you an active partner in your care.