MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS: LET’S TALK ABOUT STIGMA
By: T’Mira Looby, MS, NCC
Founder & Primary Therapist, Transformation Through Therapy
Will Smith
Founder & Executive Director, Future Wellness Foundation
Globally, May is observed as Mental Health Awareness month. It is a time to educate the public about mental health care, fight the stigma surrounding mental illness, and provide support to individuals and families experiencing mental health issues. Most importantly, it is the time to shine a light on mental health and support services, to acknowledge that it is okay to not be okay!
Since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, there has been a global increase in the number of those who are struggling with mental health issues. Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Fear and worry are often normal emotional responses people have been experiencing due to the pandemic. For these and other reasons, there is an immense need for mental health support services.
The reality is, even more than a year later, many people are still struggling to survive. Although we don’t have the exact statistics to show the mental health effects of the pandemic on the citizens of Antigua & Barbuda, anecdotal reports indicate that, like everywhere else, there has been an increased need for mental health support among citizens of all walks of life.
Over the past year, we have all heard the cries from our national healthcare workers and police officers asking for such support. There have also been reports of increased mental health needs for school children, to young adults in their primary level. It is not surprising, as it has been proven that mental health issues increase during a crisis; and under pandemic conditions – fear, illness, death, lockdowns, curfews, isolation, and perhaps most of all, financial distress – most people have been living in crisis conditions. As a result, we are now seeing more people trying to access mental health services, as well as local organizations raising awareness about mental health and engaging in community outreach initiatives to educate the public.
It is wonderful to see more attention being placed on mental health. However, barriers still exist that make it difficult to access the necessary care and support. One of the main barriers is cultural stigma.
In Antigua & Barbuda, and in many other parts of the world, to different degrees, perceptions surrounding mental illness are based on incorrect ideas that are oftentimes inaccurate and misleading. This can potentially be damaging to the individual who is in need of mental health support but chooses not to get the assistance. The cultural stigma surrounding mental illness can be more destructive than the illness itself.
So, what are some of the contributing contextual factors that feed this cultural stigma? Well, there are quite a few, but it seems that the most prominent factors include fear of a breach in confidentiality, the language used around mental health, and the encouragement of emotional suppression.
Living in a small island developing state, “everybody knows everybody,” raises concern for people who are considering accessing specialized mental health intervention. Additionally, it has been presumed that people in our society have a reputation for sharing personal and private information of others, without their consent. This practice of “talking people’s business” causes distrust towards services that require people to be vulnerable and share their personal life stories. There is a fear that once disclosed, their business will end up on the “street”, even if disclosing to a mental health professional.
The kind of words used when discussing mental illness is oftentimes insensitive, discriminatory, and judgmental and includes terms such as “crazy” and “psycho”. The Treatment Act used to refer to persons suffering from mental illness as “lunatics” and referred to a treatment/rehabilitation facility as an “asylum”. These terms have since been discontinued and replaced with “person of unsound mind, mental patient, or insane person” and “mental hospital”, respectively. Even these terms do not really help that much: would we really say today that a person suffering from a heart condition is “of unsound body”? Condescending language can cause persons who are experiencing mental health challenges to feel belittled, misunderstood, and judged, potentially creating barriers to accessing necessary and appropriate care.
Indeed, there are people with significant mental illnesses who may at times need hospitalization. However, our focus in this article are those whose illness may have been triggered by pandemic conditions of stress, etc. They would benefit from, and likely recover well, following therapy with a professional therapist or mental health practitioner.
Yet, expressing emotional distress – one of the signs that someone is struggling with their mental health – is not encouraged within many households and is still taking place. When in emotional distress, and a decision is made to disclose these feelings to a trusted friend or family member, often the responses include statements such as, “Give it to God”, “Get over it”, and “It’s not that serious”. Responses like these invalidate the person’s feelings and puts them at risk of continued and escalating illness that could be readily managed and remedied; but if untreated, may eventually deteriorate to the point that they may not be able, for example, to cope at school or work, or to function productively.
It is time for us to recognize that “Mental illnesses are physical brain-based conditions that affect thinking, emotions, and behaviors; and that having a mental health problem at some point during your life is common.” The brain is an organ, and just like any other organs in the body, we can be born with congenital illness of the brain, or our brains can experience changes/injury or healing based on life experiences like stress, trauma, lack of sleep, and nutrition and to belabor the point, most of us have all been living under for over an entire year.
Positive mental health practices, such as traditional talk therapy and regular self-care routine, are important to achieving optimal wellness. Practicing these things helps to regulate and manage emotions, cope with trauma, increase self-confidence, enhance performance and productivity, and build healthy relationships. This is why for us to end the stigma around mental health support and mental illness. How can this be achieved? There are a few recommendations that we propose:
Mental health and medical practitioners in the government and private sectors can embark on a national destigmatizing campaign, designed to normalize mental illness, and encourage Antiguans & Barbudans to seek specialized intervention such as talk therapy and, where necessary, medication.
Individuals and local community organizations should continue to raise awareness and advocate for the needs of those suffering from mental health issues.
Government officials can revisit and amend the Mental Act so that the language is more inclusive, less stigmatizing, and contains international best practices for the treatment and rights of persons struggling with mental illness.
Establish medical insurance policies that will cover the cost of professional mental health services, such as counseling. Provide government and private scholarship opportunities for individuals looking to pursue higher education in psychology/counseling related fields/programs.
Most importantly, show compassion and empathy for your fellow citizens. Understanding that we all go through challenges in life, treat others how you’d want to be treated. Be kind to one another.
As Mental Health Awareness month comes to a close let us remember that poor mental health is a brain-based condition that we all experience at some point in our lives. So, let’s not judge those who are having difficulty coping. Additionally, regular practice of mental health care is necessary to prevent poor mental health from escalating into a mental illness that requires specialized intervention and treatment. Lastly, in order to thrive as a nation, the mental health needs of the citizens must be prioritized; and quality support services must be readily available and accessible.