How We Think About Mental Illness – Time for Plan B

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Depending on who you talk to, there are dramatically different views of mental illness. One scenario which captures the unpleasant reality many have experienced looks something like this:

Plan A – Many people with a mental illness:

  1. Have never been diagnosed
  2. Have received a diagnosis but have a lack of insight or deny it
  3. Are afraid to talk about it
  4. Are ashamed to disclose it
  5. Never seek treatment for it
  6. Are ridiculed and ostracized because of it
  7. Want treatment but none is available
  8. Have the wrong diagnosis
  9. Receive ineffective treatment
  10. Feel hopeless because they can’t manage it
  11. Don’t believe recovery is possible
  12. Are trapped in despair
  13. Die prematurely due to lack of appropriate health care or by suicide

 

Conversely, there is a very different view of mental illness which paints a much more positive picture of hope and recovery:

Plan B – Many people with a mental illness:

  1. Learn they have a treatable illness
  2. Acknowledge they have it
  3. Talk openly about it with no fear or shame
  4. Want to learn more about it
  5. Readily seek treatment for it
  6. Find help & support is available to treat it
  7. Find caring professionals who want to help them
  8. Have an accurate diagnosis
  9. Engage in effective treatment
  10. Feel hopeful about effectively managing it
  11. Believe recovery is possible
  12. Realize they are a person and not just a illness
  13. Reclaim their lives and experience peace of mind and fulfillment

Most would agree that Plan A has been far too common in the past and that it’s definitely time for Plan B. The question then becomes how to make Plan B our collective vision for the future. Notable efforts are already underway to achieve this goal including adoption of the recovery model, expanded mental health insurance benefits, increased attention to suicide prevention, and incredible work by mental health advocates around the world.

Perhaps we are nearing a tipping point in how we think about mental illness where we can say once and for all that Plan A is in the past and Plan B is here to stay.

So, here’s a question: What steps are needed to make Plan B for mental illness a reality? Please leave a comment. Also please consider subscribing to my blog to have future posts delivered to you automatically. Also please consider subscribing to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter), “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Thanks!