October is National Depression Awareness Month, and there is no better time to increase your understanding of this very common mental health disorder. At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health in Leland, North Carolina, we think it is important for people to understand depression and what it is like for our patients who experience this condition.
The Stigma of Depression
Depression is a disorder that changes how a person’s brain works and makes it difficult for them to do the things they need and want to do, and this can manifest differently from person to person. This does not mean that the person deserves ridicule or judgment.
- People who have depression often struggle with low energy. This can mean that they sleep a lot and have difficulty completing tasks related to work, school, housekeeping, and other obligations. Not only does this lead to them feeling bad about themselves, but they are often judged by people who see them as lazy or unreliable.
- Individuals with depression who do manage to drag themselves through their obligations are sometimes told they don’t really have depression, even though just completing their daily tasks leaves them feeling continuously exhausted, and they may have other symptoms of depression that are not easily observed, such as sadness and suicidal ideation.
- People who have never experienced suicidal ideation may be told that they do not have depression because of the incorrect assumption that all people with depression are suicidal. While people with depression do often experience suicidal thoughts, there are many people with depression who are not suicidal.
- When a person’s depression causes suicidal ideation, they are often labeled as attention-seeking if they reach out for help.
- They may be called selfish for wanting to end their pain by dying, regardless of whether they reach out for help before making an attempt.
- Approximately 30 percent of respondents in a survey about depression in Japan stated that they believed it was caused by people having weak personalities. While one would hope that fewer people in the United States believe this myth, there are certainly people here who express similar sentiments.
The Harm Caused by Stigma and How to Help
Because people with depression already see themselves unfavorably, the stigma they experience from others reinforces negative beliefs they have about themselves,
- Making it harder to ask for help
- Further reducing their hope for recovery
- Lowering self-esteem
- Increasing psychiatric symptoms
- Making it less likely that they will stay in treatment
- Leading to further isolation
- Decreasing opportunities to succeed in school, work, or social interactions
Stigma is not an unfixable problem. It can be addressed. Ways you can do this include:
- Communicating openly about mental health by talking to others and sharing information on your social media platforms.
- Educating yourself about mental health and learning how to respond to myths about mental illness.
- Being mindful of how you talk to and about people. Mental health concerns are often invisible disabilities, so you may not realize you are talking to someone with a mental illness or who loves someone with a mental health disorder.
- Encouraging people to view mental illness with the same compassion they show toward physical illnesses like cancer and diabetes.
- Normalizing mental health treatment as a form of health care, as legitimate as medical treatment.
- Calling out the media for stigmatizing language toward mental illness.
- If you are an employer, supporting your employees by implementing policies and practices that support them in preserving and restoring their mental health.
In addition, take the opportunity to get screened for depression and encourage people around you to do the same, especially if they are showing signs of depression, such as:
- Prolonged sadness or emotional numbness
- Feeling hopeless, helpless, or worthless
- Loss of interest in activities that used to cause joy
- Low energy or feeling slowed down
- Changes in sleep or appetite
- Trouble with focus, decision-making, or memory
- Physical pain with no medical cause, such as headaches, cramps, back pain, or stomach pain
- Increased substance use
- Thoughts of suicide or death
At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health, we offer inpatient treatment for people who are struggling with severe psychiatric symptoms or a mental health crisis. We treat individuals with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other mental health disorders. We also offer support and education to their loved ones.
