What can you do for World Mental Health Day?
What can you do for World Mental Health Day?
By Tessa Stevenson MS, LPC
October 10th is recognized as World Mental Health Day across the world in efforts to raise awareness of mental health issues, to open up the conversation around the stigma around seeking mental health care and spread the message that humans across the world have the right to access mental health care. You may have seen social media posts of companies recognizing the day, people sharing their own experiences with mental health and seeking care, and resources being shared. While all of these posts do bring awareness to the importance of the conversation around mental health, some people have started to hold companies and organizations accountable for following through with their message of commitment to mental health. Additionally, many individuals can feel lost when it comes to knowing how they can make a difference and be an advocate for mental health care. In an effort to reduce that feeling, I have created a list of ideas that you can incorporate into your life to be an advocate for mental health care and work to reduce the stigma.
Share your story
Although this can feel extremely vulnerable and scary (because it is!), sharing our own experiences is an impactful way for us as individuals to help reduce the stigma and normalize opening up about our mental health. This can involve as few or many details as you would like, but even simply sharing a message that you have attended therapy or struggled with your mental health in the past can serve as a reminder to others that it is okay to struggle with your mental health and seek help. This can also signal to others that you are a safe person to discuss their mental health concerns with if they are in need of help or someone to listen.
Connect with lawmakers
A simple action you can take to make a difference is advocating for change by contacting your lawmakers and members of congress directly. Many organizations focused on mental health advocacy, such as National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), have online resources that can help you find out what advocacy efforts are happening now and what steps you can take. NAMI Wisconsin has a great explanation on how to find your legislators and what steps to take to contact them on their website. You can also contact your local city’s elected officials to talk with them about their efforts to improve access to and prioritize mental health care.
Share accurate resources
Even though internet use and access is widespread these days, it is important to make sure you are sharing accurate information and resources for mental health care. Some of these resources include:
988 suicide & crisis line- call or text 988 or use the online chat
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) distress helpline: call 1-800-985-5990
SAMHSA’s National Helpline (for help finding treatment): call 1-800-662-4357 or text your zip code to 435748
The Trevor Project helps support LGBTQ+ youth and young adults with suicide and mental health resources
Suicide Hotline: call 866-488-7386 or text: 678-678
The Trans Lifeline supports those in the transgender community and is fully staffed and run by fellow trans people
Call 877-565-8860
National Sexual Assault Hotline: call 800-656-4673
National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) helpline: call or text 800-931-2237
Milwaukee County Crisis Line: 414-257-7222
For help finding a therapist:
use your insurances provider search to find in-network providers near you.
Websites such as psychology today and therapyden also have a large databases of therapist profiles and ways to filter your search based on your preferences
Ask trusted friends and family if they know of any providers
Ask your primary care doctor for referrals
Bring awareness to stigmatized language
Something as seemingly harmless and subtle as the language we use can convey a message about our attitudes towards a topic. There are a lot of common sayings and language that we do not recognize as perpetuating the mental health stigma. Whether it is misusing a diagnosis to describe your behavior, using a word incorrectly, or making seemingly harmless jokes, here are some examples of alternative phrases to practice and remind others of.
Instead of “that’s crazy/psycho/insane” try “that’s wild/surprising/unexpected, etc.”
Rather than “that’s so OCD of me” try describing your behavior without pathologizing such as “I like to keep things tidy and organized”
Instead of joking about being triggered when you experience an inconvenience or feel upset, try identifying how it made you feel such as powerless or overwhelmed.
Instead of using the language “committed suicide”, try using “died by suicide” to avoid blaming the individual.
Lastly, many of us describe people as what they are struggling with such as “they’re an addict” or “they’re autistic”. A small and easy thing to remember is always to put the person first in your language, such as “they are a person with autism” or “they have struggled with addiction”. You are not your mental health struggles, and it is important to avoid labeling people with their diagnoses.
In conclusion, there are plenty of small steps you can take to help reduce the stigma around mental health, participate in advocacy efforts, share resources with others, and increase mental health awareness. Today we recognized World Mental Health Day, but we can also commit to recognizing and supporting mental health care every day in many ways.