About stigma (and why you don’t need to suffer from mental illness to see a psychologist).
by Joyce Chong (First published August 2016; Updated 2nd October 2020)
As psychologists, one of the things we often come up against in our work is a little thing called stigma. Even in 2020, with the global pandemic that is Covid-19 affecting mental health worldwide, with repeated focus on coping with lockdown, social isolation, and adjusting to a New Normal, we are still seeing stigma. Where once there may have been denial of the existence of mental health issues, organisations such as Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute have worked tirelessly over the past 20 years to raise awareness of depression and reduce stigma. Nowadays, in our work we witness stigma in subtler forms [1], in thoughts such as,
“It’s okay for others to go through it and get help, but I should be able to sort myself out.”
“I’m weak if I have a mental health issue.”
“I won’t be seen as someone who has their act together if I have a mental health issue.”
Furthermore, there’s still stigma attached to seeing a psychologist, in spite of the many ways in which we can help individuals enhance the quality of their life, bouncing back from challenging times, but also learning to thrive and be resilient. So, in this article, we’ll touch on three helpful points when it comes to mental health.
1.Mental health encompasses the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is the entire continuum.
We often equate mental health with mental illness. According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is “a state of well-being in which every individual realises 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 his or her community.”
So what does a mental health continuum look like? It’s much like how we see physical health as ranging from someone who is in the pink of health, all the way through to someone who is coping with physical illness. In a similar vein, at one end mental health continuum individuals are thriving and resilient, all the way down to the other end where they are struggling with ill mental health. And, of course, there are all of the shades in between thriving and struggling.
Depending on what we’re experiencing in life, we can move up and down the mental health continuum (see point 2). And the importance of staying psychologically resilient and mental health aware is not lost on organisations, with findings showing that for every $1 an organisation invests in building a mentally healthy workplace they reap a $2.30 reward through increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and presenteeism, and fewer compensation claims. [2]
Indeed, our team are often involved in facilitating such training sessions, where attendees find learning about these concepts of mental health as well as taking on one or two simple steps to enhance their mental health, to be beneficial. We like to think of it as taking a multivitamin for mental health.
2. No one is immune to poor mental health.
There is no 'Us vs. Them' when it comes to those who have mental health issues and those who don’t. Life happens and this can trigger poorer mental health for anyone. If there’s anything that Covid-19 has shown, it’s that no one is immune to poor mental health. Earlier in the year we saw global mental health suffer when the world started to comprehend the profound impact of coronavirus, when we faced anxiety about our health and the health of loved ones, when we faced social isolation and loneliness, when we faced uncertainty about work and financial strain, and then when we had to adjust to a New Normal. It continues to have a far-reaching impact on all of our lives as second- and third-waves of the pandemic emerge around the world.
“There is no ‘Us vs. Them’ when it comes to those who have mental health issues and those who don’t. Life happens and this can trigger poorer mental health for anyone.”
Reactive mental health touches us all, as Covid-19 has shown. Outside of a global pandemic, relationship problems, work strain, traumatic accidents, separation, pregnancy and birth, the death of a loved ones, can all impact on our mental health. In fact, outside of a global pandemic, 1 in 5 experience mental health issues at any point in time [3], and hopefully 2020 has taught us empathy and compassion for those who experience mental health challenges on an ongoing basis.
3. Psychologists can help you thrive and perform better, in addition to helping you bounce back from mental illness.
So, if mental health encompasses the entire continuum from thriving to struggling, let’s rethink what it means to see a psychologist. Seeing a psychologist isn’t just about ‘fixing a problem’ or bouncing back from mental illness. In fact, here’s a list of what psychologists work with people on:
Developing a more resilient mindset, helping you shift from the glass being half empty to being half full.
Adjusting to a health diagnosis and the lifestyle changes it may require
Helping to change health behaviours – sleep, eating, exercising.
Improving performance (including as a student) through managing perfectionism, procrastination, goal setting, time management.
Improving communication and building better relationships (assertive communication, social skills)
Helping you feel better in yourself by focusing on boosting self-esteem and body image.
Living a life more aligned with what’s meaningful to you.
Adjusting to life’s challenges (relationship breakdowns, changes to work, migration, parenthood, retirement…global pandemic), and the impact it may have on one’s identity.
Working towards achieving balance in work, study, and life.
And that is just the tip of the psychology iceberg. In Australia, we have psychologists who have endorsement in specialised areas of training including mental health (this is the area many of us traditionally associate with psychology), sporting performance, education and development, forensics, neuropsychology, workplace/organisations, social behaviour, health, and community.
Critically, seeing a psychologist means working with someone who has undergone a minimum of 6 years of training on changing human behaviour and mindset (and that’s the minimum amount of training it takes to be registered as a psychologist; psychologists with endorsement have trained for a minimum of 8 to 10 years). That means that they bring evidence-based methods when working with you.
So, if we can take a step back from our preconceived ideas about mental health, and from the stigma we associate with mental health and seeing a psychologist, we can all look forward to building greater mental wealth.
REFERENCE
[1] Beyond Blue (2015). Information paper – stigma and discrimination associated with depression and anxiety (August 2015). https://www.beyondblue.org.au/docs/default-source/policy-submissions/stigma-and-discrimination-associated-with-depression-and-anxiety.pdf
[2] PwC and Beyond Blue. (2014). Creating a mentally healthy workplace: Return on investment analysis. Australia: https://www.headsup.org.au/docs/default-source/resources/beyondblue_workplaceroi_finalreport_may-2014.pdf
[3] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009). National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results, 4326.0, 2007. ABS: Canberra. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-survey-mental-health-and-wellbeing-summary-results/latest-release
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