TW: Suicide
Another week has elapsed! Isn’t it crazy how time flies? This week’s topic is internal mental health stigma. “What is that?” you may be wondering. Well, many of us are aware that there is quite a lot of stigma around mental health; internal mental health stigma is when we take those negative outlooks on mental health to heart and adopt those thoughts as our own. Effects of this phenomenon include self-isolation, ostracism, and perhaps most importantly, poor health outcomes. With that said, let’s dive a bit deeper into the causes, effects, and preventative measures for internal mental health stigma.
As written above, the root cause of internal mental health stigma is the outside stigmatization of mental health itself. This originates from those around us, meaning that those we watch and interact with most are likely to have the greatest impact. Locating the sources and people in your life, whether it be family, friends, strangers, social media, or even the news, that mental health stigma is originating from is crucial to identifying the solution to internal mental health stigma. For instance, if a favorite social media influencer of yours makes disparaging comments about mental health, that could have an enormous negative impact on how you think and feel about mental health as well. You may deny it on the outside, but subconsciously, the idea is being soaked into your mind.
Image Source: NeilPatel
“Why is internal mental health stigma so bad, though?” you may ask. (The information that follows is from the National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI].) Well, for one, it leads those affected to believe in and try to live up to false stereotypes of those suffering from unstable mental health. These stereotypes can include those struggling with mental health being indecisive, violent, and/or incapable of doing certain things. So while what you in particular are struggling with in regards to mental health may not lead you to be more aggressive, for instance, you may exhibit more aggressive behavior anyway because you believe that it is the “right” response for someone with your condition. In other words, you are unnecessarily worsening your condition and its effects.
Becoming drawn into yourself and feeling inferior --even embarrassed or disappointed-- are also possible effects of internal mental health stigma, as you see and hear many instances of those struggling with their mental well-being being put down or degraded. These are particularly dangerous because they prevent one from seeking help that may be crucial to their recovery.
Image Source: Salon.com
The effects of internal mental health stigma can even stretch and develop into something far more serious such as severe depression and feeling a complete lack of self-worth. This in turn can lead to thoughts of suicide, which clearly reveals just how serious the issue of internal mental health stigma is and the utter importance of our actions against it.
We cannot help or fix that our brains automatically process many of the things we sense and interact with throughout our lives. Internal mental health stigma takes advantage of this involuntary process to harm us. What we can change is the types of interactions that we have, which are at the root of the problem, and where we can begin to tackle the issue. Spread factual information about the issue of mental health, and don’t treat struggling with mental health like something toxic or weak. Embrace the importance of mental health, and show that asking for help is a brave and honorable thing to do. It is clear that drastically reducing --hopefully, eliminating-- our stigmatizations of mental health is a key solution. But what if the damage is already done? What if someone has already extensively heard and been influenced by others spreading negative outlooks on mental health?
It’s not too late. Trying to have an open discussion and empathize with someone who is struggling with internal mental health stigma is a great start. Storing all the thoughts that have led to internal mental health stigma in oneself only leads to greater amounts and cycles of such stigma. Using simple hard facts and evidence to disprove the stigmatizations and stereotypes around mental health that someone may believe in could also be effective. However, in my opinion, the most important thing is to show that person that they are loved and that they have worth and potential.
Image Source: Maryville University
In conclusion, internal mental health stigma is a force that originates from negative outside influences and outlooks on mental health. It can severely worsen the symptoms and conditions of someone struggling with their mental health. However, with a concentrated effort to promote positive messages about mental health, as well as actively showing that we are there for one another, we can do much to fight it.
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