Mental health is a crucial part of well-being. It affects all aspects of our lives and influences the wellbeing of those around us, including relationships and careers. However, it’s not always easy to recognize or talk about mental illness. As a result, those suffering from mental illnesses can face stigma, prejudice and discrimination. Increasing awareness can help decrease stigma, thereby promoting better wellbeing for everyone.
Awareness is critical to mental health, and it’s a topic that needs to be addressed on all fronts, including schools, workplaces, communities and governments. Educating people on the signs and symptoms of mental illness can help them identify it early and seek help before it worsens. This can reduce the risk of suicide, increase the quality of life for those with mental health issues and improve overall health.
Many people are unable to seek help for their mental health problems because of the stigma they face. This stigma can come from others, or it can be internalized as self-stigma. Public stigma involves negative or discriminatory attitudes towards mental illness, while self-stigma is the feeling of shame and embarrassment about having a mental illness.
The first step is raising awareness, and that starts in the workplace. Employers should be encouraged to make their employees feel comfortable discussing their mental health and providing them with support services if needed. They should also make sure that mental health receives parity with physical health in their policies, and they should encourage a culture of wellbeing within their organisation.