TLC Newsletter 05.2025
May is my favorite month. It is the harbinger of spring, with tufts of green sprouting sins of rebirth and transformation. Everything is coming out of the darkness, cold and isolation of winter. Also, May is Mental Health Month, and you might notice green signs popping up also. With that comes the #StopTheStigma campaign. This is the opportunity for us to consider the specific stigmas we are all working to overcome. Let's take a closer look at the different types of stigma. Stigma can be categorized into institutional, community (or public), and individual forms.
Institutional stigma refers to systemic discrimination embedded within corporations, governments, and other institutions. It starts with the top officials in Government. (No, vaccines don’t cause Autism) and filters into our schools, churchs, and city administrations. Frequently people tell me that there is nothing that they can do to control this area. In a way, they are right, but in other ways, we still have a voice. To combat this area, consider researching mental health discrimination laws, taking a look at your business or agency to determine the culture related to mental health, identifying gaps in local funding, or even becoming involved in policy making by running for office and prioritizing mental health initiatives. And don't forget to do your research when it comes to where you give the gift of your vote in the ballot box. This is a slower process than the others to change. This can lead to Anticipated stigma where people with mental illness expect to be judged and discriminated against.
Public stigma involves the way we talk about mental health and mental illness, whether in private or public conversations. Our words have power. Stigma allows for the flippant use of language or "joking" that can be destructive and dismissive. For instance, using terms like "bipolar" or “OCD” to describe everyday situations diminishes the actual difficulty people have with their symptoms. Being tidy is not “OCD”, the weather is not “bipolar," and we should never label a person as "crazy" or “insane”. Likewise, Mental illness should never be a “joke”.
Comments that increase stigma—
—they just want attention.
—they just need to exercise more
—they are just lazy
—they need to pull up the big-girl panties (Bootstraps)
—they just need their butt beat (or some other form of physical discipline)
—they just need to stop (drinking, drugging, gambling, etc)
Don’t you think that if they could have, they would have?” I get it. Sometimes it’s scary or frustrating or inconvenient. Imagine how it is for them. Education is important. Make sure it is from a reliable source. And if you cannot think of something helpful to say, just listen.
Individual stigma is the internalized stigma a person holds against their own mental illness which impacts the view they have against themselves. Once ingrained, this is difficult (but not impossible) to change. People get the above messages loud and clear. They start to view themselves as worthless or a burden. They look down on themselves and are their harshest critics. This leads to feeling hopeless, helpless, and unworthy. It is vital for healing that people feel supported and worthy.
A special note about TicTok. I love that this app is spreading the word on various disorders. However. Please remember that anyone with a smartphone can put out a video. My wish is that you never diagnose yourself or others from a 3 minute TikTok. We all have symptoms but that doesn’t mean it’s to the level of a diagnosis. Leave that to the professionals.
Happy May and let's work together towards reducing stigma in all its forms.
Let’s be kind out there.