Mental Health:It’s part of all our lives

Do You Know the Facts?

Separate theMYTHS from the FACTS

MYTH: Mental health problems are rare.

FACT: Actually, they are quite common. Nearly every family in America is affected.

MYTH: People with mental health problems can’t hold jobs or care for themselves.

FACT: Not true. Many people with mental health problems are productive employees and contributing members of the community.

MYTH: There is nothing you can do if you are given a mental health diagnosis. People with mental health problems never get well.

FACT: In reality, there are more new treatments and community supports than ever before. Most people do get better, and many recover completely.

MYTH: People with mental health problems are violent and unpredictable.

FACT: This myth is perpetuated by the inaccurate portrayals of people with mental health issues on television and in the movies. In fact, the vast majority of people who have mental health problems are no more violent than anyone else.

Visit PEERS online at:

www.peersnet.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Developing a Stigma Reduction Initiative.␣SAMHSA Pub No. SMA-4176. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services␣ Administration, 2006.

Get the Facts. Get Support.Get Involved.

For more information about the

Alameda County Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Campaign

or for more information about mental health, recovery, and ways you can help stop stigma

contact PEERS at 510-832-7337

How You Can Help:Share the facts about mental health issues and about people living with mental health problems. Speak up if you hear something that isn’t true.

Treat people with mental health needs with respect and dignity, as you would anyone else.

Don’t label people by using terms such as “crazy,” “wacko,” “schizo,” “loony,” “psycho,” or “nuts.”

Don’t label people by their illness. Instead of saying “She’s a schizophrenic,” use people-first language and say: “She has schizophrenia.”

Support people with mental health problems by helping to develop community resources. If you are a business owner or landlord, ask yourself if you are welcoming to people who may be living with mental health problems.

If you have a friend or family member who is struggling with a mental health problem, don’t withdraw your support out of fear. Continue to be supportive of their recovery as you would if they were recovering from another type of illness.

When Mike Halligan first heard the diagnosis -- paranoid schizophrenia -- he also heard that he might as well give up on having a future.

“The general attitude was that life was over for me, someone with schizophrenia,” said Halligan. “They more or less said, ‘Don’t expect to get involved in life that much.”

Since then, Halligan has worked in oil fields, managed $25 million contracts, earned a master’s degree in psychology, married, and had children. “I’m glad I didn’t listen,” he said.

In the 30 years since that first diagnosis, there have been plenty of hard times too. Halligan tells about periods when he couldn’t find work and couldn’t afford his medication. He spent time in hospitals. There were major bouts with depression.

Halligan’s story of recovery is remarkable. But it is not unique. In fact, studies show that most people with mental health problems do get better, and many recover completely.

This is not widely know, however. A recent federal report found that many Americans don’t know that mental health problems can be treated and recovery is possible.

This and other misconceptions are one reason for the stigma -- the aura of shame and blame -- that surrounds mental health problems. Fear of mental illness is itself a serious problem because it keeps people from getting needed help and support for recovery.

What can people do about stigma? When it comes to jobs and housing, laws protect people with mental health problems. But there are steps anyone can take to help. (See box.)

“Labels contribute to stigma,” said Charles G. Curie, administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Terms like crazy, schizo, or psycho demean and devalue the individual.”

Labeling people by their illness is also damaging, Curie said. For instance, instead of saying “he’s a schizophrenic,” say “he has schizophrenia.”

Halligan adds, “Don’t assume that people with mental illness have to drop out of life.”

Halligan -- and many others like him -- are telling their stories as part of a new initiative that aims to break down the barriers caused by stigma and discrimination that many people with mental health problems encounter.

Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services (PEERS), a local non-profit organization based in Oakland, is leading the campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination in Alameda County.

If you are interested in obtaining more information on how you can help in the fight against stigma and discrimination in our community, or if you would like information on PEERS’ resources for people in recovery from mental health problems, please visit our website at www.peersnet.org

The National Anti Stigma Campaign, part of the Center for Mental Health Services, also has a toll-free number (1-800-789-2647) for information on stigma and mental illness.

Mental health problems are common, but so is recovery.