Behavioral Health Articles

Think Again! about Mental Health

by Garra Lloyd-Lester, Contributing Writer

Over the past four weeks you have had an opportunity to read a series of articles about different aspects of mental health and mental illness, in recognition of May as National Mental Health Month. The common thread tying these poignant and informative articles together is STIGMA. As a member of the task force which has sponsored these articles, the Think Again! about Mental Health campaign, and other activities for Cortland County over the past two years, I believe it is important to reflect on the issue of stigma and how it negatively impacts individuals with mental illnesses, as well as our community at large.

Over the past 50 years, there have been tremendous gains in society’s understanding, tolerance, and provision of services for vulnerable—and previously disenfranchised—citizens with chronic diseases and disabilities. Grassroots efforts by consumers, families, and advocates have impelled us to change the way we view people who historically were seen as second class citizens and treated with contempt—or worse—ignored altogether. We are also learning to speak about the person and not the disability; for example, referring to someone as “a person with diabetes,” not “a diabetic.”

In spite of these slow but concrete changes, there is one disenfranchised population that remains on the fringe of our acceptance and attention: individuals with mental illness. Please remember that friends, family members, or coworkers who are experiencing symptoms, or who already have a diagnosed mental illness, face an uphill battle for acceptance, understanding, and access to services. At the root of this issue is the shame or disgrace attached to something many people regard as socially unacceptable: in other words, STIGMA.

“The impact of stigma is twofold. Public stigma is the reaction that the general population has to people with mental illness. Self-stigma is the prejudice which people with mental illness turn against themselves. Public and self-stigma express themselves in the forms of discrimination, stereotyping, and as prejudices,” state Patrick Corrigan and Amy Watson of the University of Chicago. Many individuals coping with mental illness describe the associated stigma as bad, if not worse, than the illness itself.

Imagine not seeking treatment because you believe in the inaccurate, incomplete, or negative information and stereotypes portrayed in the media. The ramifications of stigma go beyond the individual, however. The costs to society of delaying treatment, or terminating treatment early, include increased healthcare costs, lack of productivity at work, increased reliance on social welfare programs, and homelessness, to name a few. All of these are due in great part to stigma.

Society has become more tolerant of others over the past 50 years; we should occasionally take pause and reflect on this growth. Yet we must not forget, despite our progress, that there is still work to be done, there are still opportunities to be realized, and there are still attitudes to be changed.

Transformation of attitudes, beliefs, and dysfunctional systems is possible. Here in Cortland County local efforts toward transformation have already begun to yield positive results. More than time and more than money, it is the desire to change and the willingness to work together for a common cause that will continue to be the foundation for lasting change in the way we plan for and treat individuals with mental illness.

For more information on the Think Again! about Mental Health campaign or other local mental health initiatives, call Garra Lloyd-Lester at 758-6100, Jackie Carlton at 756-4198, or visit the Seven Valleys Health Coalition website at www.sevenvalleyshealth.org.

Garra Lloyd-Lester is Director of Prevention Services for Youth for Cortland County Mental Health Services.