A overview of mental health stigma and how we can fight it.

3. Myth: Mental health problems don't affect me.
Fact: Mental health problems are actually very common.
 One in 5 American adults experience a mental health issue.
 One in 10 young people experience a period of major depression.
 One in 20 Americans live with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder, or major depression.
 Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. It accounts for
the loss of more than 38,000 American lives each year, more than double the
number of lives lost to homicide.
Mental Health Myths and Facts

4. Myth: Children don't experience mental health problems.
Fact: Even very young children may show early warning signs of
mental health concerns.These mental health problems are often
clinically diagnosable, and can be a product of the interaction of
biological, psychological, and social factors.
Half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person
turns 14 years old, and three quarters of mental health disorders
begin before age 24.
Unfortunately, less than 20% of children and adolescents with
diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they
need. Early mental health support can help a child before problems
interfere with other developmental needs.
Mental Health Myths and Facts

5. Myth: People with mental health problems are
violent and unpredictable.
Fact:The vast majority of people with mental health
problems are no more likely to be violent than
anyone else. Most people with mental illness are not
violent and only 3%-5% of violent acts can be
attributed to individuals living with a serious mental
illness. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are
over 10 times more likely to be victims of violent
crime than the general population.
Mental Health Myths and Facts

6. You probably know someone with a mental health problem and
don't even realize it, because many people with mental health
problems are highly active and productive members of our
communities.
Mental Health Myths and Facts

7. Myth: People with mental health needs, even those who are managing
their mental illness, cannot tolerate the stress of holding down a job.
Fact: People with mental health problems are just as productive as other
employees. Employers who hire people with mental health problems report
good attendance and punctuality as well as motivation, good work, and job
tenure on par with or greater than other employees.
 When employees with mental health problems receive effective
treatment, it can result in:
 Lower total medical costs
 Increased productivity
 Lower absenteeism
 Decreased disability costs
Mental Health Myths and Facts

8. Myth: Personality weakness or character flaws cause mental health
problems. People with mental health problems can snap out of it if they
try hard enough.
Fact: Mental health problems have nothing to do with being lazy or weak
and many people need help to get better. Many factors contribute to mental
health problems, including:
 Biological factors, such as genes, physical illness, injury, or brain
chemistry
 Life experiences, such as trauma or a history of abuse
 Family history of mental health problems
 People with mental health problems can get better and many recover
completely.
Mental Health Myths and Facts

10. Myth: There is no hope for people with mental health problems. Once a friend or
family member develops mental health problems, he or she will never recover.
Fact: Studies show that people with mental health problems get better and many
recover completely. Recovery refers to the process in which people are able to live,
work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. There are more treatments,
services, and community support systems than ever before, and they work.
Myth: Therapy and self-help are a waste of time. Why bother when you can just
take a pill?
Fact: Treatment for mental health problems varies depending on the individual and
could include medication, therapy, or both. Many individuals work with a support
system during the healing and recovery process.
Mental Health Myths and Facts
Helping Individuals with Mental Health Problems

11. Myth: I can't do anything for a person with a mental health problem.
Fact: Friends and loved ones can make a big difference. Only 38% of adults with
diagnosable mental health problems and less than 20% of children and
adolescents receive needed treatment. Friends and family can be important
influences to help someone get the treatment and services they need by:
 Reaching out and letting them know you are available to help
 Helping them access mental health services
 Learning and sharing the facts about mental health, especially if you hear
something that isn't true
 Treating them with respect, just as you would anyone else
 Refusing to define them by their diagnosis or using labels such as "crazy"
Mental Health Myths and Facts
Helping Individuals with Mental Health Problems

12. Myth: Prevention doesn’t work. It is impossible to prevent mental
illnesses.
Fact: Prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders focuses on addressing
known risk factors such as exposure to trauma that can affect the chances that children,
youth, and young adults will develop mental health problems. Promoting the social-
emotional well-being of children and youth leads to:
 Higher overall productivity
 Better educational outcomes
 Lower crime rates
 Stronger economies
 Lower health care costs
 Improved quality of life
 Increased lifespan
 Improved family life
Mental Health Myths and Facts
Helping Individuals with Mental Health Problems

13. It's no secret there's a serious stigma attached to mental illness. According
to the CDC, only 25 percent of people with mental health issues feel that
other people are compassionate and sympathetic toward them. It’s a
shameful statistic when one in four people have been touched by some form
of mental illness.
Experts say that part of the problem when it comes to criticizing someone's
mental health is a lack of empathy and knowledge about the ailments.Yet,
despite the staggering evidence and rhetoric aimed at helping people
understand, many people still don’t get that being diagnosed with a mental
illness isn’t something that’s in their control – just like having the flu, or food
poisoning, or cancer isn’t in their control.
In an effort to reframe the conversation, artist Robot Hugs created a comic
that displays what it would be like if we discussed physical illness in the same
way we do mental illness.Take a look at the graphics, makes you think,
doesn't it?
What If PeopleTreated Physical Illness
Like Mental Illness? Huffington Post By Lindsay Holmes 11/13/2014

16. 4 PsychologicalTerms thatYou're Using Incorrectly

17. Use People First Language

18. Do the words used to describe you have an impact on your life?You bet! Contrary to the
age-old "sticks and stones" lesson we learned as children, words do matter!
For too long, people who happen to have conditions we call "disabilities" have been
subjected to devaluation, marginalization, prejudice, and more. And the first way to
devalue someone is through language, by using words or labels to identify a person/group
as "less-than," as "the others—not like us," and so forth. Once a person/group has been
identified this way, it makes it easier to justify prejudice and discrimination. Our language
shapes our attitudes; our attitudes shape our language; they're intertwined. And our
attitudes and language drive our actions!
Using People First Language—putting the person before the disability—and eliminating
old, prejudicial, and hurtful descriptors, can move us in a new direction. People First
Language is not political correctness; instead, it demonstrates good manners, respect, the
Golden Rule, and more—it can change the way we see a person, and it can change the way
a person sees herself!
LET'S PUTTHE PERSON FIRST, NOTTHE
DISABILITY

20. Seven Important things we can do to reduce Stigma
and Discrimination
1. Know the facts.
Educate yourself about mental health problems. Learn the facts instead of the
myths like you are doing today.
2. Be aware of your attitudes and behavior
We’ve all grown up with prejudices and judgmental thinking. But we can change the
way we think! See people as unique human beings, not as labels or stereotypes. See
the person beyond their mental illness; they have many other personal attributes that
do not disappear just because they also have a mental illness.
3. Choose your words carefully
The way we speak can affect the way other people think and speak. Don't use hurtful
or derogatory language.
4. Educate others
Find opportunities to pass on facts and positive attitudes about people with mental
health problems. If your friends, family, co-workers or even the media present
information that is not true, challenge their myths and stereotypes. Let them know
how their negative words and incorrect descriptions affect people with mental health
problems by keeping alive the false ideas.

21. 5. Focus on the positive
People with mental health and substance use problems make valuable
contributions to society.Their health problems are just one part of who they are.
We’ve all heard the negative stories. Let’s recognize and applaud the positive
ones.
6. Support people
Treat people who have mental health problems with dignity and respect.Think
about how you’d like others to act toward you if you were in the same situation.
If you have family members, friends or co-workers with substance use or mental
health problems, support their choices and encourage their efforts to get well.
7. Include everyone
It is against the law for employers and people who provide services to
discriminate against people with mental health and substance use problems.
Denying people access to things such as jobs, housing and health care, which the
rest of us take for granted, violates human rights. People with mental health and
substance use problems have a right to take an equal part in society. Let’s make
sure that happens.
Seven Important things we can do to reduce
Stigma and Discrimination

23. We from NAMI Thurston Mason, Thurston Mason Regional Support Network
and ThurstonThrives thank you for attending our presentation.
Talking about mental illness and the effects stigma causes to both an
individual and our community allows the light to shine in the darkness!
If you want more information or would like us to do this presentation for
another group, agency or organization, please call us at 360-493-6021 or
email us at namitm@live.com