Mental health stigma hasn’t gone away

“The problems surrounding mental health stigma are nuanced and far-reaching, and we really need to get to grips with the effect that each different type can have. I think it’s great that more people are now feeling able to talk about their own experiences with depression, but we mustn’t fool ourselves into believing that this[…]

Why we’re afraid of antidepressants – even when we take them

“Isn’t there something lost in taking drugs?” I asked him.  “A great deal would be lost if we had medication that eliminated sadness,” he said. “We need sadness to have our basic human experiences of love and connectedness. I would not want to lose that. Antidepressants deal with a lack of vitality: the shift for[…]

Robin Williams, Connectedness and the Need to End the Stigma Around Mental Illness

“Since suicide is the ultimate act of disconnection — from society, from community, from friends and family — it’s not surprising that connection is a powerful roadblock to suicide. We’re creatures of connection. We’re hardwired for it. It’s a fundamental human need. So it’s worth noting that this deadly phenomenon that we know is caused,[…]

There’s Nothing Selfish About Suicide

“People who say that suicide is selfish always reference the survivors. It’s selfish to leave children, spouses and other family members behind, so they say. They’re not thinking about the survivors, or so they would have us believe. What they don’t know is that those very loved ones are the reason many people hang on[…]

Deadly Stigma: Robin Williams’ Suicide Exposes Silent Epidemic

“The alarming part, say researchers, is that suicide remains an untamed cause of death. Heart disease, cancer, HIV, most infectious diseases, almost every kind of accident: they’re all in relatively steep decline, while suicide floats along, or even rises.” Read the Full Article Source: NBC News

Can We Let Go of These Mental Illness Stereotypes?

“This post is for those who believe the stereotypes about mental illness. This post is for those who assume that mental illness means that one is useless, incapable of rational thought, unable to function in society, and devoid of a pleasant demeanor. I am here to confirm that mental illness does not always manifest obviously.”[…]

Seven Reasons Why the Mental Health Stigma Is a Killer

“One in four people – so on average, someone in the typical two parent, two children family – will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lifetime. Yet even though so many people are affected, mental illness carries a devastating stigma, which can harm sufferers in every aspect of their life. In[…]

People With Mental Illness Need a Stonewall Inn: Only if they come out of the closet can we address the mental health care crisis

“We are responsible for the lack of progress made in terms of diagnosing and treating mental illness because we’ve successfully hidden the magnitude of the problem. Why should Congress or state legislatures allocate funds to fix a problem that flies under the radar? Today, there are more people in our country whose lives have been[…]

Young men in crisis may not be crying out for help, but it’s desperately needed

“Boys don’t cry, or at least they’re not supposed to.  Yes, the old, unreconstructed machismo that was once all too synonymous with being a man has been partly driven back; men are more likely to open up and talk about their feelings.  But discussing anxiety, depression and mental distress is still seen as weak or[…]

Cost of not caring: Stigma set in stone

“The failure to provide treatment and supportive services to people with mental illness – both in the community and in hospitals – has overburdened emergency rooms, crowded state and local jails and left untreated patients to fend for themselves on city streets.” “The federal government has set so many barriers to getting care, which they[…]