Why does mental health always have to be so negative?
We talk about physical health in a positive context not illness context so why mental health is different? We creating a bigger problem and fear by making it so negative and often unapproachable.
Mental health problems are common, affecting thousands of us in the UK. Despite this, there is still a strong stigma around mental health. People with mental health problems can also experience discrimination in all aspects of their lives.This stigma and discrimination – from society, family, friends and employers – makes many people’s problems worse.
How do stigma and discrimination affect people with mental health problems?
Nearly nine out of ten people with mental health problems say that stigma and discrimination has a negative effect on their lives.
We know that people with mental health problems are among the least likely of any group with a long-term health condition or disability to:
find work
be in a steady, long-term relationship
live in decent housing
be socially included in mainstream society.
Stigma and discrimination can also make someone’s mental health problems worse, and delay or stop them getting help. Social isolation, poor housing, unemployment and poverty are all linked to mental ill health. So stigma and discrimination can trap people in a cycle of illness.
Why are people with mental health problems discriminated against?
There are many reasons for this discrimination, including:
stereotypes. Society can have stereotyped views about mental ill health. Some people believe people with mental health problems are dangerous, when in fact they are at a higher risk of being attacked or harming themselves than hurting other people.
the media. Media reports often link mental ill health with violence, or portray people with mental health problems as dangerous, criminal, evil, or very disabled and unable to live normal, fulfilled lives.
Why Parents are silent about mental health illness? Story of Adam Lanza
The best way to get help for your child with mental health issues is to talk about what’s going on. But most of us don’t, especially not at first. Adam Lanza’s mother, Nancy, was reportedly quiet about his problems. She was happy to talk about gardening, the Red Sox and her hobbies. But she was quiet (publicly at least) about her son. I have been, too. We learn to be.
Even among parents who have kids with mental health problems, many cringe at the idea of exposure.
Nancy said: “When my son was in elementary school, he was sometimes violent, explosive and unpredictable. His mind, his focus and his mood would shift and nothing could interrupt the explosion. Believe me, I tried. All I could do was send his younger brother to his “safe spot” and manage things the best I could. For reasons none of us understood, his brother was often the target.
I worried for years that I would get a call that the state had removed my younger son because his older brother broke his arm or hurt him grievously. I went to all the best experts who speculated that maybe he was angry because his brother was “normal.” Why then, did he attack me too? And why did he also harm himself?
No one was ever sure about the why of it and we learned to live with the mystery and uncertainty. When he was a little older, my son was able to tell me that every day he woke up feeling emotional pain and most days it was simply horrible. When he exploded or when he hurt himself, it was like bursting a balloon, he said. The pain went away for a while. As he grew older, he hurt himself more and others less. He reasoned that it was morally a better thing to do. As his mother, I was still anguished.
When this first began, I told other mothers about it. They were the parents of his friends and had known him since he was a baby. Some of them would try to make me feel better. “All brothers fight” they’d say, “Yours are just more intense.” Some would look at me with horror or, worse yet, tell me to try things that I’d done long ago and found pretty worthless.
It was clear that they thought it was either my skills or persistence that needed shoring up. I learned to avoid these discussions and got pretty good at deflecting questions. I learned to be quiet.
It isn’t just friends you are careful with. It’s your child’s teachers, his pediatrician and many others in his life. We all live in a society where the stigma around mental illness can stop us in our tracks. It’s far more serious than a lack of understanding. People repeat things to you that cut you to the quick and you learn not to tell them what you are going through. Instead, you talk about the Red Sox and gardening.”
Looking at the statistics
Alarmingly, however, 75% of children and young people who experience a mental health problem in UK aren’t getting the help they need.
Children’s emotional wellbeing is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health helps them develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.
Things that can help keep children and young people mentally well include:
being in good physical health, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise
having time and freedom to play, indoors and outdoors
being part of a family that gets along well most of the time
going to a school that looks after the wellbeing of all its pupils
taking part in local activities.
Other factors are also important, including feeling loved, trusted, understood and safe. Children who are optimistic, resilient, have some control over their lives and feel like they belong are more likely to have good mental wellbeing.
Most children grow up mentally healthy, but surveys suggest that more children and young people have problems with their mental health today than 30 years ago.