Ten Guidelines for How to Talk About Mental Health

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I was giving a lecture to a group of college students and I described how to show respect toward people with mental health concerns by using appropriate language. As one example, I noted it’s better to say “John has schizophrenia” instead of “John is schizophrenic.” I explained how “John has schizophrenia” puts the emphasis on the person, not his illness, while “John is schizophrenic” equates the person with their illness and perpetuates negative labels and stereotypes about having a mental …

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A Dozen Ways You Can Support Someone in Recovery

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If you’re a friend or a family member of someone in recovery from mental illness or substance misuse, a common question you may ask is, “What should I do to support my friend or loved one with their recovery?” You want to be helpful and supportive, but you may feel at a loss as to what specific things you can do to be of assistance. There are many ways to be supportive if you care about someone in recovery. Here …

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Stop Discrimination Toward People with Mental Illness

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In a recent post, I discussed “5 Simple Steps to Reduce Stigma About Mental Illness.” In case you missed it, the 5 steps were: 1) Don’t label people who have a mental illness. Use ‘person-first’ language. For example, say “she has schizophrenia” instead of “she’s a schizophrenic.” 2) Don’t be afraid of people with mental illness. Despite inaccurate media stereotypes, people with mental illness aren’t scary or prone to violence. 3) Don’t use disrespectful terms for people with mental illness. …

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5 Simple Steps to Reduce Stigma About Mental Illness

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If you tune into any conversation about mental illness and addiction, it won’t be very long until the term “stigma” comes up. Stigma has various definitions, but they all refer to negative attitudes, beliefs, descriptions, language or behavior. In other words, stigma can translate into disrespectful, unfair, or discriminatory patterns in how we think, feel, talk and behave towards individuals experiencing a mental illness. If you begin to wonder where stigma comes from, that’s a complicated question. It’s almost like …

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9 Benefits of Support Groups

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It seems like there are support groups for just about any topic, concern, or health condition. Common types of mental health issues addressed in groups include substance misuse, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, grief, borderline personality and eating disorders. While some groups may have professionals as leaders, many will be led by peers, who are individuals also in recovery. Certain groups are designed to offer support and guidance for the friends and family of persons with mental health concerns. I routinely …

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“What Do You Know About NAMI?”

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There are many wonderful mental health organizations doing great work all around the world. So, when you single one out for praise, you run the risk of displeasing all the others. I’ll take that risk, because I want to recognize the many fine efforts of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (www.nami.org). NAMI is near and dear to my heart as I’ve had the privilege to work with my local and state chapters very closely for many years. Origins …

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Why ‘Engagement’ is Better Than ‘Compliance’

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People who are living with mental illness or substance misuse often have difficulty following through with the recommendations suggested by their health care professionals. A frequent example is not taking medications as prescribed, which can mean missing doses or discontinuing the medicine altogether. Other typical scenarios include not keeping follow-up appointments, not completing homework assigned in therapy sessions, and not being mindful of self-care practices such as exercising, eating a healthy diet or getting enough sleep or rest. There are …

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Suicide Is Something We Can Definitely Live Without

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This is ultimately a tale of heroes and life winning out over death. But first we must acknowledge some clear and painful truths. The tragic epidemic Suicide is a global public health issue and a personal tragedy affecting untold numbers of individuals and families. In case you didn’t know, suicide claimed the lives of over 41,000 Americans in 2013. The overused but attention-grabbing analogy to capture the impact of this number is to imagine 90 jumbo jets full of people …

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