A new local news piece from Des Moines has launched the month of Mental Health Awareness Month to highlight the fact that stigma is one of the largest obstacles to help. Journalists point out that May‘s awareness month will be more than green lighting buildings; it will serve to make it easier and safer for people to speak out about their struggles without fear of judgement. It mentions that communities in Iowa are planning events and distributing information to open the dialogue and ensure residents know there‘s help out there.
Local professionals interviewed in the story emphasize that mental health problems are prevalent and treatable. They can impact anyone working professionals and college students, young and old. Barriers like stigma cause people to hide the fact that they are suffering and postpone treatment or feel that treatment will be damaging to their reputation. This segment on Mental Health Awareness Month reinforces the idea that language can be destructive: jokes about “being crazy” or “it‘s just stress.
As the organizations profiled in this report use May to promote hotlines, counseling services, and peer programs. Others stage free screenings or educational sessions to help people identify signs of depression, anxiety, and crisis in themselves and loved ones. This section also directs viewers to crisis resources, and underscores that help is available 24 hours a day.
For families, the Des Moines report gives Mental Health Awareness Month the opportunity to build toward more honest conversations in the home. If someone asks, “How are you really?” and just listens, it will be easier for families to be open. The report also underlines that you do not necessarily have to wait for someone to “bottom out” before you urge them to get help from a doctor, counselor, or mentor.
This part makes the central message clear: combating stigma begins with daily conversations. Communities can help ensure that folks will take advantage of services “before they get to the point of a crisis” by using respectful language, sharing their stories when appropriate, and creating a culture in which help seeking is accepted. “Mental Health Awareness Month,” the story seems to propose, is a call each year to create that culture not just for a month, but throughout the year.
Source: Mental Health Awareness Month: Breaking stigma and providing support
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