The Importance of Normalizing Mental Illness

What Was Normal to Me?

Although there is a lot of media coverage, which is positive, much of it is written by journalists who are not mental health specialists. Their limited knowledge does not always present balanced views and more often than not, they use negative language.

So What Can We Do to 'Normalize' Mental Illness?

• Let’s read up on our illnesses and educate ourselves.
• Let’s get tough with media guidelines.
• Let’s connect with people and form a community as one — with the consistent message, ‘You are not alone.’
• Let’s make help more accessible. For example, it should be mandatory for doctors to provide basic information on self-help, helplines and specialist support websites in addition to any necessary referrals.
• Let’s refresh mental health training in professional environments to ‘humanize’ workers to remind themselves at all times ‘How would you feel if it was you?’
• Let’s introduce more guest speaking and lectures at schools, colleges and universities. Let’s make mental health learning mandatory.
• Let’s be aware of our personal qualities and build upon them to become better people — more patient and understanding with less judgement towards others.
• Let’s take action but remind ourselves that we won’t always be equipped to help someone but we can signpost someone to their doctors or support them in finding out what local help is available for them.
• Let’s be fearless about confronting difficult subjects. It is proven exposure to things de-sensitise us and enables us to cope. (I think this is particularly important with subjects including suicide and self-harm). Face up and lose fear!

I accept this is ‘blue sky’ thinking — but it’s a start.

Changing Attitudes

‘Normalizing’ mental health concerns is about changing societal attitudes, which will only come about through continual support of the media, educational establishments, governments, health care and businesses in pioneering and positive ways.

We need to integrate as one community to ensure everybody understands mental health and its subject area is transparent. We need to speak up, listen and take action to help each other because at the end of the day mental ill health is ‘normal’ in society today.

To me, it is more ‘abnormal’ to find those that still ridicule, lack patience and judge, and who are clearly in dire need of better education. We all have mental health and it’s common for people become poorly. Let’s join together to accept the reality in which we live so everyone can be treated to feel as ‘normal’ in their lives as possible.

Support Resources

•  The Samaritans – UK helpline number
• Mind.org — excellent UK resource for all mental health issues with help resources
• MentalHealth.org.uk
• Rethink.org — Carers' guide for those supporting people with mental health problems
• Mind.org (Violence and Mental Health Factsheet)
• 1-800-334-HELP – 24-hour crisis hotline in the U.S.A.
• 1-800-273-TALK – 24-hour crisis hotline in the U.S.A.
• Fliss Baker Talks - My blog