{"id":15313,"date":"2018-01-24T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T17:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=15313"},"modified":"2018-01-23T14:05:32","modified_gmt":"2018-01-23T22:05:32","slug":"mind-matters-its-time-to-talk-about-stigma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2018\/01\/24\/mind-matters-its-time-to-talk-about-stigma\/","title":{"rendered":"Mind Matters<\/em>: It\u2019s time to talk about stigma"},"content":{"rendered":"

An estimated one in five people will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their life. Maybe it will be a friend, or a loved one, or the person next to you on the bus.<\/p>\n

Maybe it will be you.<\/p>\n

Nobody knows for sure what causes mental illness; the best-educated theories point to genetics, hormones, chemistry, trauma, medical conditions, and stress, or a combination thereof. But what we do know is that a person who has a mental illness is not a weak person, or a person of poor character; they are not lacking in intellect, and they did not cause their illness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mind Matters<\/em> is a column about mental-health issues appearing in every issue of Nexus<\/em>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A mental illness is just that\u2014an illness. But it\u2019s a serious one. It requires treatment, and the sooner the better. The good news is that it is 100-percent treatable, manageable, and survivable.<\/p>\n

So why are so many people who have it dying? They don\u2019t have to. We can help.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a wall. You can\u2019t see it. But you can sense it. It permeates the space around us. It\u2019s the look on someone\u2019s face, and the words used by strangers; it\u2019s the portrayals in media, and it\u2019s the well-meaning but misinformed pep talks from family and friends. It\u2019s even the thoughts in our own heads. It\u2019s stigma. And it creates a barrier as real as a physical one.<\/p>\n

A diagnosis of a mental illness comes loaded with biases and assumptions about what it means to have it, and about the person who has it. The person may be perceived as less intelligent, incapable of managing their affairs, or even dangerous; these perceptions are rooted in stigma.<\/p>\n

\u201cStigma\u201d has been defined as a mark of shame, or disgrace. At its best it\u2019s simply ignorance and fear of the unknown. But at its worst, it\u2019s life threatening, because it keeps people at odds with the rest of society and it becomes a barrier that prevents them from reaching out for help.<\/p>\n

For the person it\u2019s directed at, it represents a battle. It\u2019s a battle to be seen and heard. A battle to be understood.<\/p>\n

And, sadly, it\u2019s often a battle to live.<\/p>\n

January 31 is Bell Let\u2019s Talk Day, a day of support for mental health. Its aim is to end stigma. So, let\u2019s talk. Let\u2019s tear down the walls and keep the conversation going. Maybe together we can help someone win their battle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An estimated one in five people will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their life. Maybe it will be a friend, or a loved one, or the person next to you on the bus. Maybe it will be you. Nobody knows for sure what causes mental illness; the best-educated theories point […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,205],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columns","category-january-24-2018"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t