De-Stigmatization of Mental Illness

Mental illness has a long history of stigma, which can lead to adverse consequences. The stigma has been based on years of stereotypes and misunderstanding, including fears and myths of mental illness. From early history, this stigma contributed to the confinement of the mentally ill in hospitals, and today, individuals that would benefit from mental health treatment are afraid to access the proper avenues to receive treatment. Despite this long-standing stigma, there has been movement to promote mental health and diminish, with hopes to eventually eliminate, the stigma that has been associated with mental health and mental illness. This movement can be noted as officially starting when Congress named the 1990s as the “Decade of the Brain,” to promote national recognition of brain research and public education. At this time, Congress also created Mental Illness Awareness Week in October.

In 1996, NAMI, or the National Alliance of Mental Illness, created the Campaign to End Discrimination, which was based on the public’s growing understanding of brain science and development of psychiatric medicines. The message of this campaign was to “medicalize” or treat mental illness the same as any other medical condition, and that treatment can be effective. Even though NAMI had been advocating for mental health since its establishment in 1979, the group changed its approached with the times by utilizing technology and social media in 2010 to promote its positive storytelling approach, which gave people a platform to talk about how mental illness has affected their life.

The de-stigmatization process has not just been done by NAMI and Congress. There are other organizations that work to end the stigma of mental health, such as Active Minds, whose audience is college students and creates chapters at universities and colleges across the United States to "change the conversation" about mental health. There are also platforms that help end the stigma on an individual level, explaining that people have strengths at an individual level to make change. Platforms that emphasize the individual impact explain how an individual can educate themselves on mental illness, learn from others’ personal experiences, avoiding using language that puts the illness before the person, look at their own biases, and offer support to others .

Celebrities have also used their platforms to promote the de-stigmatization of mental health. In recent years, Demi Lovato has been open about their mental health, facing difficulties with bipolar disorder and eating disorders. Howie Mandel has also been open about his experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder and germaphobia. Celebrities such as Mike Ferrell, Mike Wallace, and Patty Duke, spoke about their mental health in the 1980s, which helped promote the conversation around mental illness, when the de-stigmatization process was just beginning. People in the public eye talking about their own experiences with mental health helps normalize the conversation and diminish the stigma around mental illness.

1. ↑ Exploring your Mind. (2020, June 29). *Destigmatizing mental illness*. https://exploringyourmind.com/destigmatizing-mental-illness/
2. ↑ Unite for Sight. (n.d.). *Module 2: A brief history of mental illness and the U.S. mental health care system*. https://www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module2#:~:text=Early%20History%20of%20Mental%20Illness%20%281%29%20During%20the,%28and%20often%20degrading%29%20confinement%20of%20mentally%20ill%20individuals.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Walthall, J. (2020, June 1). *The evolution of the mental health movement*. NAMI. https://nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/June-2020/The-Evolution-of-the-Mental-Health-Movement
4. ↑ Active Minds (n.d.). Mission and impact. https://www.activeminds.org/about-us/mission-and-impact/
5. ↑ Better Health Channel. (n.d.). Stigma, discrimination, and mental illness.  https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/stigma-discrimination-and-mental-illness
6. ↑ Agrawal, S. (2021, March 9). Mental health de-stigmatization. The Unread Initiative. https://theunreadinitiative.org/2021/03/09/mental-health-de-stigmatization/
7. ↑ Vantage Point. (n.d.). 9 Celebrities doing good for the mental health community. https://vantagepointrecovery.com/9-celebrities-doing-good-for-the-mental-health-community/