THE ISSUE
Why are we fighting against the stigma?
THE STIGMA
The stigma surrounding mental illness has existed since many centuries. Matters tend to improve over time, but there hasn’t been much improvement in its case. In fact, many state that it has a cyclical progression, except the measures taken may not seem as brutal as it was in the past. In history, mental illnesses were usually given ridiculous diagnoses such as someone being possessed by the devil or being part of a cult. Even though doctors now know better, there are still a lot of people who look differently at those who have the problem.
OUR SOCIETY
In our present society, the cause has seen a lot more support but there is a significant number of people who either don’t understand its seriousness or think that people who have it are lunatics that one should keep away from. Many ignore these baseless theories and think that it
doesn’t matter how others think about it as long as you are well informed about it but someone out there, suffering from it, can get deeply affected by people thinking negatively about it. Individuals affected by it might end up isolating themselves and not reach out for help, fearing that people close to them will judge them and leave them.
Sometimes, people refuse to employ a person known to be suffering from a mental illness. This can greatly impact a person’s confidence and self-esteem. When a person ends up getting rejected several times on the same basis, they feel they are unworthy just because they are going through something they have no control over. This can cause a person to bottle up and lie about their mental well-being, just to fit in with society. However, even though bottling up seems like a good solution to many, it isn’t helpful at all because eventually there will be a point you can no longer do it. This outburst could cause more harm than what it would have if the person had tried to not deny it and ask for help. It isn’t easy to ask for help, especially when they are full of self doubt.
The moment the seed of self doubt plants itself in one’s head, the person starts restraining themselves from taking opportunities they would usually take just because they feel they are unworthy. A stigma can cause a lot of woe but we can make a difference by taking small steps to reduce its influence in society.
Most of our efforts pertaining to this program involve studying new approaches and developing innovative ways to implement them. We evaluate our success in this field by gathering qualitative and quantitative data, and using that information to measure shifts and changes from our baseline measurements.
WAYS WE HELP
SOCIAL ADVOCACY
We bridge the gap in knowledge by busting myths that surround the stigma. On our Instagram page, we regularly create thought-provoking content that analyzes people’s opinions and experiences, with data and research.
STARTING CONVERSATIONS
We regularly organize webinars with a panel of experts to allow for open dialogue and communication amongst our ever-growing community.