Mental health STIGMA exists in 2023 all over the world. Some countries, states, provinces are more accepting than others when handling this topic and those individuals enduring it.
Since the beginning of time, emotional and mental health afflictions have existed within humanity, yet, thousands of years have still led to very little progress in acceptance and treatment of it. Why is that?
I blame some ethnic cultural beliefs, societal cultural beliefs, leading to government restrictions on funding for treatment and management-why the restrictions on funding? The hopeless wheel continues to turn: Perhaps because of the pervasive societal cultural beliefs and chronic denial.
You may hear these comments from others in power, and some from those who don’t have a clue or pretend not to have a clue about the mental health mismanagement and non-funded mental health crisis in America, Texas being #49 in appropriate government funding, nearly last on the list:
- It’s just hormones, they will grow out of it.
- It’s not that bad, they can still function enough to work part time and pay taxes.
- They are just lazy.
- They just want to use drugs; they are an addict; there’s no helping them.
- Everyone has a weird uncle in their family, deal with it.
- Insurance doesn’t cover their treatment, what are we supposed to do?
- They won’t cooperate. They are adults; it is their choice, what do you expect us to do about it?
Since May is mental health awareness month, I will post more blogs on this critical issue. My next post will be about what the average person can do about this crisis in America. Show compassion and seek more understanding. Look to the domino effects of untreated mental illness in a person’s life and you will see the exponential effects on others around each person, family, non-family, taxpayers, medical groups and first responders.
The first point to be made is STGMA. We must stop STIGMA. This creates fear, confusion, and shame. Remove STIGMA from mental health affliction. It exists in humanity, and we must be AWARE and ACCEPT it.
Please look for my follow up blog on what you can do to help alleviate this crisis beyond the message of this post on mental health STIGMA and thank you for reading this blog; you are now part of the solution.