The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This is an opportunity to bring mental health to the forefront and help reduce the stigma associated with mental health and treatment. As a psychiatrist, I am intrigued to hear thoughts and opinions pertaining to mental health. Whether it is from patients, colleagues, my family or friends, I have heard wide-ranging views on the topic of mental health and treatment. Sometimes these views are laughable and easily dismissive. But other times these views can be harmful and a detriment to overall wellness and care.
Common mental health stigmas include the perception of being weak, less of a person, lacking faith/spirituality, and being viewed as violent or dangerous. There are some who think mental health care is not real and medications are a placebo. Frequently, when I walk into a patient’s room in the hospital and introduce myself as a psychiatrist, I hear responses like “I’m not crazy,” “you’re not getting in my head,” and “you’re not going to lock me up.” These statements seem jovial, but have an undertone of negative connotation. Patients I see in the outpatient setting for the first time will often ask if I am going to make them cry. These stigmas and negative perceptions of mental healthcare can make it hard for people to seek treatment. Mental health does not exist in its own vacuum. Untreated mental health symptoms can lead to poor health risk factors like substance abuse, cigarette smoking, poor sleep, and overeating. It can also lead to a poorer quality of life by affecting employment, education and relationships with family and friends.
When I decided to pursue a career in psychiatry, I vividly remember an older family member telling me that this was a poor decision. This family member stated, “Black people don’t see psychiatrists, you won’t be successful.” Was this a racial/cultural misperception about mental health? Or was this a generational misperception? Likely it was both. To my older family member, the thought of seeing a mental health provider seemed taboo. Thankfully, I did not listen to this school of thought.
I have seen the perception of mental health change in a positive way over the last few years, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic hurt our psyche in so many ways including fear, anxiety, grief, depression, disruption of our daily routine, and isolation. Nearly everyone was affected in some way. As we tried to adapt and overcome the stress of the pandemic, it became okay to talk about mental health in the public domain as we checked on our loved ones.
Telehealth has become an important tool in mental health services. Some of the advantages of telehealth services are convenience and privacy. These include patients being seen in the comfort of their own environment, no longer worrying about travel logistics, and having flexible appointment times. Privacy is an extremely important factor as I have heard many patients say, “I do not want anyone to see me walk in to a mental health office or clinic.” Telehealth provides such relief. There are also numerous self-help apps that can be used on a cellphone that assist with meditation, positive affirmations, mindfulness, and stress reduction. Telehealth and mental health applications are often user friendly which makes attaining mental health services easy.
Overall, I am happy to see mental health come out of the shadows and into the mainstream of healthcare. There is still work to do. I encourage all my colleagues to promote mental health awareness.
Contact Information: jaredtaylormd@gmail.com