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Help us fight the stigma around mental health

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, stigma is a negative stereotype.  Stigma is a reality for many people with mental illness, and they report that how others judge them is one of their greatest barriers to a complete and satisfying life.

There are many ways to reduce the stigma of mental health such as:

• Being compassionate for those living with mental illness

• Educating yourself and others on mental health misconceptions

• Talking openly about mental health

• Normalizing mental health treatment like other health care treatments

Check out these 10 common mental health myths by the Canadian Mental Health Association:

#1: Mental illnesses aren’t real illnesses.
#2: Mental illnesses will never affect me.
#3: Mental illnesses are just an excuse for poor behaviour.
#4: Bad parenting causes mental illnesses.
#5: People with mental illnesses are violent and dangerous.
#6: People don’t recover from mental illnesses.
#7: People who experience mental illnesses are weak and can’t handle stress.
#8: People who experience mental illnesses can’t work.
#9: Kids can’t have a mental illness like depression. Those are adult problems.
#10: Everyone gets depressed as they grow older. It’s just part of the aging process.

These myths—and many more—exclude people with mental illnesses from our communities and create barriers to well-being. If we want to reduce the impact of mental illnesses on our communities, we need to learn the facts and start with our own assumptions and behaviours.

Learn more here.