Is the phrase “mental health” too stigmatized?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) mental health is defined as:
“a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
The positive dimension of mental health is stressed in WHO’s definition of health as contained in its constitution: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
However, when people think of mental health they often think of mental illness. In fact, when I do my research on this subject most articles and even research papers use the terms mental health and mental illness interchangeably.
When you use these terms to mean the same thing it then becomes a stigmatized issue to talk about mental health, as if there is something “wrong” with you.
And while there have been efforts to reduce the stigma it does not seem to be enough.
So, what about physical health?
When we talk about physical health most people view this as a positive thing or at least something to aspire to. We don’t automatically draw an association to something that is physically wrong, like cancer or a physical disability.
In my mind mental health and physical health are essentially the same things: a continuum in which to gauge our wellness on. We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health.
How do we move away from the stigmatized attitude towards mental health?
As I shared my frustrations with a friend she asked, “why don’t you just shift the wording to ‘mental wellness’ versus mental health as a way to curb the stigma.” My initial reaction was an emphatic “no!” as it was not the point. I wanted/want people to accept the wording of mental health just as they do physical health, but perhaps there is too much water under the bridge—too much emotional association for there to be a clean slate around it…but, if Brene Brown can make the topic of shame approachable, then surely we can help make mental health a normalized concept, right?
I think so!
I think it takes normalizing talking about our mental health on a regular basis, and brining people into conversations about their struggles that everyone deals with at some point. Some of the most popular posts on social media are either posts that reveal people’s vulnerabilities (celebrity or otherwise) or those inspirational quotes that draw upon struggle and growth. Why? Because we can relate to it.
We desperately seek connection. But we are afraid that if we share how we are really feeling it disconnects us. The truth is that vulnerability increases genuine connection.
Today my mental health is good. Yesterday it was good. Over the weekend, when I had a lot of people around me who I needed to give my attention to, I did well until Sunday night when I just needed to be by myself. When I couldn’t get that I was more irritable and my mental health was less than perfect.
When we can accept that not every day is a good mental health day, and recognize that everyone else has a similar experience we can become more compassionate with ourselves and others.
Let’s start the conversations!
If you would like to find out more about creating a workplace culture that supports mental health please contact Jolene today!
