Are you reading this at work during your lunch break? Has anyone come into the lunchroom to tell you about the cold they had lately, or their children’s chicken pox, or their aging father’s hip replacement?

I bet this happens quite a bit. Just about everyone talks about these maladies, small and large, fleeting or chronic.

When’s the last time you tossed a “How ya doin’?” at a co-worker, and instead of talking about that flu that just doesn’t seem to go away, she mentioned casually, “Ah, well, I’m going through another depression, don’t you just hate that?” Read more →

In recent decades, societal conceptions of mental health and mental illness have evolved significantly. Compared to prevailing attitudes of the early 1900’s, the general public and scientific community alike have become much more aware and knowledgeable of mental illness: its causes, severity, prevalence and treatments [1]. With increased basic and clinical research into the fields of mind, brain and behavior, more effective and accessible treatments for all types of disorders may soon be realized.

However, all the efforts and successes of the scientific community are critically undermined by the presence of a persistent, widespread societal stigma against mental illness. Read more →

Every year in the United States, approximately 44 million people are diagnosed with a mental disorder. Of those diagnosed, roughly 19 million suffer from depression and 4 million others suffer from some form of generalized anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, not everyone with a mental disorder seeks treatment. Of those who do, nearly 40% do not complete their prescribed treatment.

The most common reason cited for the failure to seek treatment is the stigma associated with mental health. In general, Americans have the inaccurate perception that individuals who suffer from a mental health disorder are dangerous, freaks, loonies, deviants, neurotics or psychotics. Read more →

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by a pattern of unstable relationships, a self-image that is always changing, and poor impulse control. The person suffering from BPD fears abandonment and will go to any lengths to prevent this, including threats of suicide. Self-harm is a characteristic.

There may be no other psychiatric diagnosis more laden with stereotypes and stigma than Borderline Personality Disorder. People who live with this label — the majority being female — often have problems accessing good mental health services. Read more →

Who wants to admit that they need to see a psychiatrist? There is often an inner sense of shame and disgrace when people seek psychiatric consultation, yet the pain of mental illness compels many people to seek help from family doctors or psychiatrists.

Most people who suspect mental illness initially go to their family doctors. However, it is valuable if the ill person knows the pro’s and con’s of consulting their family doctor about their mental symptoms as opposed to a psychiatrist or who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental illness. Read more →

It has only been within the past decade or two that we have begun to better understand the biochemical causes of mental illness. Although there is still much to be discovered, it is now known that mental illnesses are similar to physical illnesses, since they often have biochemical causes and medical treatments.Most cultures view or have viewed severely mentally ill persons as crazy, lacking will-power, possessed, frightening or violent. One universal element of this stigmatization and discrimination against the mentally ill is the traditional belief that severe mental illness is caused by something supernatural or paranormal, such as possession by spirits, curses or sorcery attacks, influence by the moon (“lunacy”), divine punishment, karma, or is the result of a moral transgression. Read more →