How to Break the Stigma during Mental Health Awareness Month

As a mental health therapist, of course it is important for me to raise awareness about Mental Health Awareness Month. Everyone should know about it! I want to make sure everyone understands that mental illnesses are all around and someone you love is struggling at this very moment. As Americans, we are well aware of the importance of proper physical health. As Americans, we know that we are supposed to eat healthy and exercise and get 8 hours of sleep and blah, blah, blah. We have heard about how to be physically healthy all of our lives. It has been drilled into our heads what will happen if we don’t do either of the above. You end up gaining weight and facing health problems!

As an American, do you get equal amount of education or awareness about the importance of mental health? Doubt it. Highly doubt it! A very small percentage of the population is taught how to manage emotions. We weren’t taught that it is perfectly acceptable to be angry, jealous, or sad. We weren’t taught how to cope with our intense feelings in a healthy or acceptable way. A majority of us were taught to suppress those emotions so the ones around us don’t feel uncomfortable. In addition, we are taught to ignore our emotions or “get over it”. We learn to shove them down, deeeep down, until they bubble inside of us. This becomes so bad that we end up in the hospital with a serious medical problem.

How come physical health is hammered into our brains but mental health education is so scarce? We only talk about mental health one month out of the year. However, people are struggling 365 days of the year. I can bet that every person on this Earth has faced a traumatic situation. Such situations are often too intense to go through alone, yet it is not common knowledge as to what to do when we are struggling.

We need to break the stigma regarding mental health illnesses. To do this, we must first become more educated about mental illness. This is similar to how we are so educated about physical illnesses.

Unless someone wears a sign on their back that says “I have depression and no will to live” then you would never know. Mental Health Awareness month needs to make Americans aware of the hidden signs and symptoms of common mental health disorders. And then not stop there. People can be AWARE, thats great. But its the action that will make a difference.  

Did you know:

Today, about 1 in 5 adults are struggling with a mental health issue. Look around you. Are you surrounded by more than 5 people? That means someone right next to you is silently suffering and internally begging for someone to help them.

Today, about 1 in 6 young people have already experienced a major depressive episode. Again, look around you. Think about your family members or co-workers. Do you have more than 6 people you can think of? One of those persons is silently suffering. This person is using whatever brain power they have left to try and smile. They struggle to complete simple everyday tasks like getting dressed or going to work. Understand that someone you interact with everyday doesn’t want to live anymore. Try to understand that someone you interact with everyday thinks the world would be better off without them. Who could that person be? Read Signs and Symptoms of Depression to help you understand how to save a life.

Did you know suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States? And was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-24 years old. Last year, suicides increased to 14.7 deaths per 100,000 individuals. These levels last happened in 1941 during World War II. There were more than 49,300 suicides reported in 2024, nearly doubling the reported number of homicides.

Males accounted for nearly 80% of last years suicides. How could that be? Maybe because males are taught to suppress their emotions so they don’t look weak. Maybe because males are taught to be tough and strong. When you are taught to be tough and strong, it is implied that you don’t have emotions. News Flash: EVERY HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET IS BORN WITH EMOTIONS. Let males express the “weak” emotions. Let males cry when they are sad or scared or in pain. Save a life by recognizing these signs of suicidal behavior.

What’s the point of Mental Health Awareness Month?

Mental Health Awareness Month was first created in 1949. It aimed to bring more awareness to the importance of not only physical health but mental health too. In the past 20 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has worked hard to significantly increase awareness for mental health issues. Click here to find tons of resources about mental health on the SAMHSA website.

Is it enough just to slap the title on top of a monthly newsletter or mention some sort of statistics like mentioned above? I don’t think so. First we become aware of the prevalence of mental health. Then, we need to recognize the silent signs and symptoms of a person in need of support. Finally, we need to take an extra step and make sure the person struggling gets the help they need. It’s easy to hand a depressed person a resource flier to a local mental health agency. However, that person probably doesnt have the energy or motivation to pick up the phone and call. Remember, this person is depleted. At ground zero. Has no extra oomph to make that call. Sit with them while they make the call. Give them the extra push.

What does Mental Health Awareness Month mean to you? If you suffer from a mental health disorder, now is the time for you to share your story. This is an opportunity to do this without feeling shame. If you are not currently suffering from a mental health illness, it’s time to understand the signs and symptoms. Make an effort to reach out and help someone who is too ashamed to ask for help. It is time to pay it forward and help someone who is experiencing them.

Who is brave enough for destigmatization?

Destigmatization. Woah, thats a big word. What does it mean? De-stigma-tization means to remove social disgrace regarding a quality or person. Destigmatization aims to reduce shame related to certain issues. Today, we are talking about mental health issues and how in the h*** are we going to reduce shame for that has a mental health diagnosis? How are we going to

I can guarantee that you thought “coo-coo” or “crazy” or “looney tune” when you read those two diagnoses. These are the people that carry the biggest burden. The ones who walk around feeling like they have the black plague. They have no control over their DNA. They cannot change how their brain decides to function. Yet, they have to suffer every day because they have the mental health diagnosis.

Interested in Being a Good Human?

The easiest thing you can do is BE KIND to others. I am sure you’ve heard that before. What does that really mean? It means be kind to the people who are hard to be nice to. The ones who don’t talk much and can hardly smile when you say, “good morning”. The ones that aren’t outgoing or funny. The ones that have a hard time connecting with others. They are the ones that are depleted. They are deeply hurt on the inside. They don’t have the energy to be nice on the outside.

Be kind to the ones that appear nervous, frantic or won’t calm the f*** down. They are the ones that are scared and terrified that something is about to hurt them. They are the ones that need space to scream and cry. They have been abused and manipulated by others most of their lives. They are too scared to trust another person to help them. Can you imagine living in fear every day? Fear alters your body and forces you to live every moment as if someone terrible is about to happen. How exhausting. No wonder they cant handle another email.

Be Kind to the ones that talk too much, diarrhea of the mouth as I like to say. They are the ones that have no support system. Nobody to love them and listen to them. Nobody that cares enough to show they care.  The people are extremely lonely and looking for a person to show them warmth and attention.

And when I say Be Kind, I mean listen without giving your advice or opinion. Listen without making the person feel like a “freak” or “crazy”. Listen and then ask them if they want help.  

“Be the change you wish you see in the World” -Ghandi

Last minute thoughts….

Everyone is too busy or too focused on their screen to recognize the non-verbal cues of someone struggling with a mental health disorder. Struggling means in silence, hidden, under the skin where no one can see. They are struggling to put a smile on their face because they are in so much pain. Struggling to force themselves not to scream and cry because they are overwhelmed. The struggle is trying to look normal and be normal and that is tiring. It is draining when you are depressed and have to push yourself out of bed and push yourself to brush your teeth and push yourself to get into the car. By the time you get to work, your energy is already gone. Actually, you never had energy to start with but I guess I could say that your reserves are gone and now your body is running in survival mode. Mental health awareness means that everyone is AWARE that your coworker is silently struggling. Silently wishing they could go home and cry. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Mental Health Awareness means that a family member is struggling to keep it together and appear normal so other family members dont talk about them and make them feel like a failure. Mental health awareness Month should be designed to make Americans AWARE that have a mental health diagnosis is embarrassing. People with mental health disorders are full of shame because they feel like they are not strong enough to