Final thoughts…

Raising awareness about mental illness is the first step in diminishing the discrimination that often comes with it.  Thank you so much for following our blog and joining the fight against Mental Health Discrimination.  To continue learning about this cause, there are many organizations you can follow that are dedicated to supporting those affected by mental illness.  The National Alliance on Mental Illness is one leading organization that raises money and awareness for mental health each year through walks, advocacy talks, conventions, and awareness events around the country.

As our nation grows in innovations and scientific discoveries, we learn more about how to better our society.  This includes deleting discrimination against minority populations. This includes those with mental illness, and it is our responsibility to not allow them to be forgotten.

Making A Change

Stigmas and discrimination against individuals with mental health illnesses began thousands of years ago. In ancient centuries and in the Middle Ages, mental illnesses were regarded as a religious punishment or being possessed, which frequently lead to torture and isolation. In recent years, individuals with mental health illnesses have experienced severely under-funded hospitals and potential abuse, in addition to the existence of asylums. Even though present-day attitudes are greatly different from those of the past, our society has a long way to go. The history of treatment of individuals with these illnesses has led to vast discrimination and negative attitudes in almost every factor of society. This leads to individuals feeling shamed so much that they do not wish to seek help. In fact, there are more people with mental illnesses in jails than in hospitals, even though they are more likely to be victims of violence. These individuals experience discrimination from law enforcement, in the workplace, those who practice medicine, and more. There are a lot of ways that we can make changes in our lives.

 

An effective change that we can make is in the language we use to talk about individuals and their conditions. The public’s perceptions of mental illness can be heavily tied to the language we use to describe these conditions and illnesses. Similarly to when you talk about any type of disability, the preferred language is always person-first, such as “he is a person with a disability” compared to “he is disabled.” This helps people understand that the person is not the disease. Additionally, taking initiative to educate ourselves and our loved ones about mental health illnesses can be crucial for many reasons. It helps address misunderstandings that prevent people from seeking help, navigating health services, and understanding how to care for individuals with mental health conditions.

A good model of an initiative to follow in the United States is called Time To Change, which is based in the United Kingdom. They aim to transform how people think and act about mental health problems and open the discussion about this topic. They aim to achieve this in workplaces, communities, schools, social marketing, local businesses, and more. They encourage individuals to educate themselves and learn how they can help others. They share personal experiences and stories that people share so others know they are not alone. Their website also provides resources and ways to get involved. Overall, it is a great way to start a discussion about mental health and realize how important it is to talk about it.

Improvements In Society

Canadian Employers Enforce Inclusion

Despite the discrimination that exists when it comes to hiring people with mental illness, some successful employers say that hiring people with many different perspectives is beneficial. A Canadian study investigated the financial and social effects of hiring people with mental illness and providing necessary accommodations.  As a result, they found that creating an inclusive work environment benefited not only the aspiring worker but the organization as a whole. Here’s what some people who participated had to say:

“As a social enterprise, we see creating accessible and sustainable employment as a beneficial end … investing in people who have barriers in the workforce results in loyal and dedicated staff, with less sick days and staff turnover. We have discovered that when you go above and beyond for your staff, they will in turn go above and beyond for you.”

– Owner, Small food services, consumer-run enterprise

“I disclosed my mental illness in my interview for this role, and advised of the pros and cons of it in the workplace.  Being so open at the get-go enabled me to start in this role with certain accommodations and supports including setting ideal working hours allowing for self-care and establishing appropriate boundaries to ensure I could operate at my best.  Being open also enabled me to help reduce stigma in my workplace and allowed me to become a valuable and empathetic resource for my staff.”

– Accommodated employee with lived experience, Large public-sector organization

Mental Health Education for Adolescence

New York became the first state to require mental health education in public schools in 2016.  The state set an important precedent for the rest of the country– that teaching mental health in school is as important as physical education. National Alliance on Mental Illness is one organization committed to integrating mental health education into more schools.  Educating children about mental health at a younger age helps to disseminate stigma and teaches ways to monitor and care for personal mental wellness. Learn more about New York’s initiative here.

Celebrities Speak Up

In an attempt to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, many popular celebrities have spoken out about their own struggles.  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson opened up about his depression on Oprah Winfrey’s Network.

Singer/Songwriter Demi Lovato is open about her Mental Health issues.  She has also donated her time and money to support those with Mental Illness.  She even holds mental health workshops for her fans to attend before shows.

Pop-Culture Coverage

Influential mediums have become more aware and supportive of educating about mental health.  Glamour Magazine is just one example of a hip, fashion and lifestyle magazine dedicating a story to mental health awareness.  In this article, the author calls for change in how mental health is addressed at work.

 

How Changes Have Been Made in the Mental Health Community

In the article “Mental Health Stigmas Are Shifting”, it states that the stigma mental health has had seems to be shifting in a positive direction. Results from a survey on mental health says 90% of Americans stated that they believe mental health and physical health are equally as important, and value both the same. There has been a lot of progress over the years on how people view mental health and realizing the importance it plays in people’s lives. This survey also shows that people ages 18-24 have become increasingly more comfortable when it comes to seeking medical attention and are viewing it as a sign of being strong as they are able to have the courage to do something about it.

Aside from the stigma shifting, there are also various positive things being done when it comes to mental health. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is an association that advocates from support and services in schools. NAMI focuses on implementing programs by having trained mental health professionals come into schools and provide mental health care as well as provide different resources available for the children. Their goal is to provide assistance and support which would lessen the misperception that youths face when it comes to their mental health conditions. NAMI supports the Mental Health in Schools Act which provides federal funding to train and work with school staff on mental health and to create a more positive community when it comes to the mental health system.

There are many different organizations who are implementing the importance of mental health and why others should be educated as well as feeling comfortable enough to seek treatment. The MHA, Mental Health America, is an organization in which their goal is to have recovery for everyone, regardless of the mental health conditions people face. MHA fights to improve the system for those who face mental health conditions. They fight to ensure easy access to quality treatment, as well as reducing incarceration, homelessness, and discrimination. The MHA has and continues to focus on working toward a community in which mental health is prioritized and that those who face these problems feel encouraged enough to seek help towards a road to recovery.

Many people believe that there is discrimination and a stigma when it comes to mental health. However, many don’t realize the growth that has occurred when it comes to mental health awareness. There are constant shifts in the mental health community as well as programs and organizations that solely focus on improving services and support for anyone who struggles with mental health. People have come a long way with mental health and it continues to positively increase as other’s continue to be educated on mental health and the role it plays in someone’s everyday life.  

Mental Health in the Workplace

How Companies Cope With Mental Health

One of the most common mental health issues within the workplace is chronic stress. This has consequences on not only the employers, but the workplace entirely, costing U.S. companies $300 billion yearly. The Behavioral Science and Policy Association states that stress leads to things such as job insecurity. Many companies are focusing on ways to implement approaches that will help with mental health and things such as stress. Tech company, Appster, takes this on by having a pet husky in the office who helps employees blow off stress and steam. Other companies are offering venting sessions or one-on-one attention, allowing employees to be open and talk about their stress as well as ways to manage it.

Supporting Mental Health

In 2017, this tweet became so popular it was retweeted over 7,000 times and liked by 30k people. An employee had emailed her boss stating that she was taking two days of sick leave to focus on her mental health. Her boss, also the CEO of the company, responded in such a way that had people amazed at the response. Her boss responded by thanking her for her email, stating that it was so important to use sick leave for mental health as well, and that this should be a standard within the entire workforce. 

 

 

 

Teachers Facing Stress

According to a national survey, 61% of teachers say they are stress and 58% say their mental health is not well. Over the past couple of years, mental health has increased majorly in the workplace. In a survey of 5,000 teachers, over half responded with having “poor” mental health in their workplace. Due to the stress that teachers face, this is leading to negative consequences for their mental health and statistics are continuously jumping every year. 

Ways to Cope With Mental Health

Watch this video to learn about different ways to cope with mental health in the workplace. http://www.wsj.com/video/coping-with-mental-health-issues-in-the-workplace/E6E0B7F1-3CCA-4C91-A234-7A89172AFE34.html 

How Employers Care for Their Employees’ Mental Health

In the article, Deciding Whether to Disclose Mental Disorders to the Boss , the author discusses why it may be detrimental to individuals with mental illnesses to inform their employers. She gives many examples of times that people built up the courage to tell their supervisor about their illness and were either looked at differently or fired shortly after. For instance, a woman requested Fridays off and told her boss that she had to meet with “a group.” After she was more comfortable, she told her boss about her disorder and they seemed accepting. A week later she was fired because her illness was “affecting her work.” While this has been common practice for many decades, the culture around properly treating and addressing their employees’ mental health.

Contrary to the article cited above, there has been an increasing acceptance of how important mental health is in the workplace. Companies have been taking various measures to assist their employees in ensuring that their mental health is a priority. Globally, more than 300 million individuals suffer from depression, which ends up costing the United States economy $1 trillion every year in lost productivity, according to the World Health Organization. While working can be positive for mental health, a negative climate and culture can be harmful to employees. Risks to mental health can include, but are not limited to: inadequate health policies, low control over one’s area of work, low levels of support, and inflexible working hours.

 

There have been many programs and initiatives started by organizations to improve working environments. Aetna, one of the country’s largest insurance companies, created a successful meditation and yoga program. At this organization, the 13,000 employees have participated in at least one class reported an average of 28% reduction in stress levels, 20% improvement in sleep quality, and gained 62 minutes of productivity per week per person. Booz Allen Hamilton created a program that combines physical and mental health, called PowerUP, which allows employees to improve their personal, emotional and physical goals. Additionally, they installed treadmill desks, stability balls, and opportunities to stretch at work. Another corporation, Unilever, provides training for managers and senior employees specific to mental health and holds regular workshops on sleep, mindfulness, and exercise. They aim to erase the stigma around mental illness so employees will seek support, if needed.

More and more research supports the idea that a happy employee is a productive employee. This mantra is becoming adopted by more and more companies with the goal of discussing mental health issues more openly.  

Why People are Hesitant to Disclose their Mental Illness at Work

When a person with mental illness is properly managing their condition, there is usually no reason they cannot successfully work in whatever field they are otherwise qualified for.  However, some employees are still hesitant to disclose their mental illnesses to their bosses because of the fear of being stigmatized due to their differences.

No one should have to withhold critical medical information from someone they are interacting with daily because they fear being discriminated against.  Even more importantly, when someone with a mental illness does not disclose their medical information to their boss, it can be extremely difficult for them to get the accommodations they need and do their best work.  Legislation protects people with psychiatric illnesses from being fired due to their illness alone.  But the rules can be bent.  Additionally, if someone believes they were unjustly fired due to their mental illness, going to court with the issue can be expensive and can exacerbate their existing condition.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an employee cannot be fired from a job because they have disclosed a mental health issue to their boss.  However, an employee can legally be fired if it is found that he or she cannot perform “essential functions” of a job as determined by an employer.  If a boss is implicitly or explicitly discriminatory toward people with mental illness, they may create stricter standards for these employees.

Once it is known that an employee has a psychiatric disorder, bosses are required to make “reasonable accommodations” so that the employee can enjoy equal employment opportunities.  Typically, these accommodations include allowing time for doctor appointments or group therapies, providing a quieter work environment, or allowing for more frequent breaks.

Accommodations must be provided unless deemed “unreasonable” by the boss. Again, if a someone has implicit or explicit biases toward people with mental illness, they can find holes in the ADA and unjustly fire an employee.  One example was depicted in a New York Times article about disclosing mental health issues to your boss. In summary, a woman who requested Fridays off from her job due to group therapy sessions held that day.  She withheld the true reason for her Friday absences from her boss for months.  When she finally disclosed the true reason for her missing Fridays, her boss decided that these accommodations were unreasonable, and the woman was fired.

Eighteen percent of Americans live with mental illnesses, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. With such a large portion of the population affected, having legislation fails to protect working citizens with mental illness is not an option.  One way to help the legislation that is in place actually do its job is to spread knowledge and enforce acceptance for people with mental illness in corporate settings.  Otherwise, the 1 in 6 Americans living with mental illness has reason to be afraid to disclose their illness at work.

How Professionals Handle Mental Health

The Trump Administration

Throughout history, medicine and psychiatry have interacted in various types of ways. Psychiatrists who worked with Nazis often prescribed and suggested extremely unethical means of “treating” people. Even though these means were very unethical, psychiatry and medicine was controlled by the state. Today in the United States, Trump approaches mental health in two ways: “his compromised relationship with reality and and his attack mode in response to crisis or criticism.” While this is an opinion of the author, many professionals think that because there have been public attacks on Trump’s mental health have skewed the way he approaches the issue. Instead of giving it thorough attention, he allows his policy decisions to be decided by how he reacts to public opinion.

Puerto Rico 

In 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico causing a record amount of damage. During this time, 236 suicides were reported by the Commission for Suicide for Prevention, a 55% increase from the year before. A record number in the country are reporting feelings of anxiety and depression, which goes largely unnoticed. These individuals, along with others with pre-existing conditions, are finding little help and their conditions are going untreated. The combination of mental illness, extreme trauma, and poverty can lead to dangerous results. These conditions are going ignored by the government, which is costing the public their lives.

 

National Basketball Association

A profession that would not necessarily be traditionally related to mental health is professional sports. The health focus in this field is always the physical health of the players is always the true focus. There has not been a large focus on the psychological and mental health of players. In November of 2017, a player in the National Basketball Association, Kevin Love,  made a public statement about how he had a panic attack in the middle of a game. Since the issue of mental health took a back seat to the actual sport, the player’s profession was affected because his organization failed to address the member’s mental health needs.

New York State Mental Health Education

Starting this summer, the state of New York will be the first in the country to begin requiring mental health education in grades kindergarten through 12. Mental health is something that has long been ignored by schools throughout the country, leaving many children at a disadvantage that can affect them during their entire life. This new educational program will help children identify the symptoms of mental health conditions in themselves and also in people they know.

Professionals Do Not Take Mental Health Seriously

There is a stigma that mental illness is not taken as seriously as it should be. It is very commonly said that doctors do not take mental health as seriously in comparison to physical health. There are constant stereotypes for those who are affected by mental illnesses and could potentially be leading to many not getting the correct medical treatment they should be receiving.

There was a study back in 2016 that found that doctors neglect to follow up with their patients who have been diagnosed with depression as compared to those who have a chronic physical illness.Those who have physical conditions were treated appropriately as doctors would explain to their patients what their condition was, as well as how to treat it. However, those who suffered from depression, did not receive nearly the same amount of treatment.

As if mental health wasn’t pushed to the side enough, at least 14 studies have shown that patients who have a mental illness receive far inferior medical treatment then “normal” people. It is most common that those who suffer from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression are wrongly diagnosed and receive much less medical care.

State and federal governments are not helping these issues as budget cuts have led to people not receiving the care they should. This is a major issue for those who have low incomes. It is said that 1 in every 6 adults living at the poverty line have mental illnesses and are unable to afford treatment. Mental illnesses that are untreated in the United States “cost over $100 billion a year in lost productivity” according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Mental health is most definitely seen as a political issue and many political leaders are speaking out about it in order to change this negative stigma. Around 92% of people who have a physical health condition are treated accordingly, whereas only 26% of people with mental health conditions receive the right care. This is seen as a political issue because seeking treatment for mental illness is much harder to access than those seeking treatment for physical health conditions.

It is necessary that people continue to change the negative stigma associated with mental illness. Changing the attitudes of mental health could lead to doctors properly treating those who suffer from mental illnesses, making it known that it is just as important as physical health conditions. Continuing to educate people on mental health and speak out like campaigns such as “Time to Change” will allow others to fully understand the importance of mental health and seeking proper treatment. This could lead to doctors and governments taking it as seriously as it needs to be and properly addressing mental health and those who are affected by it.

America Does Care About Mental Illness

Various organizations are crying out to increase professional awareness and legitimization of mental illness.

However, mental health care in the United States has made various strides in the past 10 years.  The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was passed in 2008.  This act made it mandatory for employers or other group insurances to cover physical health and mental and behavioral health issues equally.  In other words, this act made it so that the mental health care benefits provided to employees must be equal to medical health care benefits.  By definition, this act confirms mental health an equally serious caliber as physical health, and forced the professional industry to recognize this.

Although employers are now required to validate mental health and physical health needs, some people still say that even medical doctors do not believe mental health is as significant as physical health.   However, there is a growing number of cases in the US in which medical doctors are integrating mental health care procedures into their practices.  For example, many physicians are making mental health check-ups a part of their typical check-up routine.  Family physicians are a vital resource for people who have recently acquired mental health issues because there is already an element of trust in their relationship.  Medical physicians incorporate mental health care into their check-ups by noticing signs of mental illness, administering questionnaires, and providing psychiatric referrals if necessary.

Additionally, Schools and Universities across the nation have begun making mental health services a priority.  The University of Maryland, for example, created more psychologist positions to meet students’ mental health needs.  Georgetown University is making similar additions to their health care staff by adding staff psychologists and a psychiatrist. Additionally, many schools have organized peer counseling services as a cheap and easy way to aid students struggling with their mental health.

 

Overall, it is untrue to say that the United States is not making big strides to meet the needs of society’s mental health.  Professional and educational communities have both begun making it a priority.  States are continually creating legislature to ensure people with mental illness are treated.  Washington introduced legislation to combat the shortage of mental health staff, Virginia passed a law to help people in mental health crises find care faster, and Minnesota passed a bill allowing state dollars to be used to pay for mental health initiatives.  These are only three of countless examples of how mental health care is finally being legitimized and implemented throughout America.