Young people need us to stop stigmatizing mental illness
Elizabeth Barnett is a rising sophomore at Georgetown University, where she studies health care management and policy. A Delaware resident, she aspires to one day join the health care field as an administrator or care provider in the state.
The first time I went to therapy, I remember sitting in the waiting room and reassuring myself: I’m not crazy — right?
Looking back at that moment, I’ve realized that truly the only crazy thing about this scenario was that I felt fear and shame in doing something so positive for myself. I’ve realized that it was society, not myself that I should be questioning.
While I was focused on positivity and the future, I feared being thought of as "crazy" or "unstable" as a result of viewing my situation through the lens of a society that stigmatizes mental illness and those afflicted. I have since realized how ironic this stigma is given how common the situation is — 25 percent of U.S. adults have a mental illness and 50 percent will develop at least one mental illness by age 50, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
These high rates of mental illness in the U.S. indicate that work must be done to ensure that the cracks far too many people slip through are sealed. Rather than feeling ashamed in seeking mental health resources, one should feel proactive for doing what is best for their health.
If we can find effective ways to relabel and de-stigmatize the concept of mental health, perhaps then we can begin to promote healthy mindsets rather than aiming only to fix "broken" and disordered ones.
The second-leading cause of death for people age 10 to 24 is suicide. When we lose a young person to a fatal automobile accident, we grieve and immediately work to initiate change: What new traffic law could have prevented the fatality? How can we prevent young people from driving while under the influence?
When it comes to mental health, we fall short in prevention simply because of how historically taboo the subject is.
Given that half of mental disorders will present themselves in some way by age 14, it’s time we ask ourselves what we are doing to promote mental health in our youth. Reconsidering how we think about and mental disorders and taking a more front-end approach is imperative.
Teaching young people that caring for their whole health includes the body and mind is important, and unfortunately overlooked due to the negative stigma associated with the topic.
Stigma is a significant barrier to accessing appropriate mental health care. "What will my friends think?" "But, I’m not sick." "Why worry about something when it doesn’t seem to be a problem?" The list goes on.
Sadly, our fast-paced world fails to take a step back and admit that sometimes — especially when it comes to our mental health — slow and steady does win the race.
Mental health is a conversation we need to have early on. Reducing the stigma around the topic of mental health is a slow process, but it can be achieved through a dialogue of acceptance and encouragement.
Advocating for increased mental health education within high schools is a key first step to combatting the depressing number of students we lose each year to suicide. Furthermore, it is a first step to preventing the onset and severity of mental disorders many young people will experience.
We must reframe our mindset and focus on promoting an environment that fosters a sound mind. Teaching de-stressing exercises, cognitive restructuring techniques, positive self-talk, and boosting the availability and accessibility of mental health resources in schools are ideas we must consider if we aim to launch young people into the world with the proper tools they need to lead healthy lives.
More importantly, this ensures that young people will feel more prepared to face potential challenges to their mental health head on and seek treatment if needed, without fearing judgment or shame.
We must educate young people to recognize the signs of mental disorder and seek treatment, diminishing the mindset that taking care of one’s mental health is a sign of weakness. Only then will we seed hope for a mentally healthier and more accepting society.