Help, not isolation, for mental illness

Erasing the stigma of mental disorders is half the battle

By Beth Wood

March 21, 2016 1:28 PM PT

If you have a loved one who’s having heart problems, you’ll probably encourage that person to see a doctor and talk about it with friends and other family members. But if you are worried someone close to you may have a mental disorder, the common reaction is to keep it to yourself.

“Many people still see mental illness as a weakness in character,” said Shannon Jaccard, CEO of National Alliance of Mental Illness San Diego (NAMI San Diego). “The brain is an important organ. If your heart has issues, why wouldn’t the brain be susceptible?”

Americans are slowly starting to consider mental disorders as true illnesses, Jaccard said. She added that, because the Affordable Care Act has made mental health care more accessible, more people are seeking help for mental-health issues. Yet, despite these signs of progress, biases have persisted for decades.

“Answers to recent survey questions like: ‘Would you live next door to a person with a mental illness?’ or ‘Would you let your child marry someone with a mental illness?’ are still ‘no,’” Jaccard said. “Those stigmas haven’t shifted.”

Four mental disorders

Here is a glance at four common mental illnesses:

Anxiety disorder causes intense feelings of fear or worry, as well as physical symptoms. These disorders are the most common mental health concern in the U.S., affecting an estimated 40 million adults in the U.S.

Bipolar disorder entails dramatic mood swings, from manic depression to euphoria. Every year, close to 3 percent of the U.S. population is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, with nearly 83 percent of cases being classified as severe.

Depression is typified by sustained and extreme feelings of sadness, hopelessness and lack of self-worth. Almost 7 percent of the population had at least one major depressive episode last year. People who are severely depressed are at risk for suicide.

Schizophrenia causes a disconnect between the way one feels and the way one thinks, impairing social interactions and decision-making. About 1 percent of Americans are affected by this serious, chronic disease. It is often incorrectly confused with split-personality disorder.

In 2014, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that about 42.5 million American adults (an alarming 18.2 percent) suffer from mental illness each year. This includes such conditions as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and schizophrenia. Mental illness is one of several factors contributing to suicide, which SAMHSA reported is increasing. Nearly 40,000 people in the United States die from suicide annually.

SAMHSA also found that approximately 9.3 million American adults experience serious mental illness, meaning a condition that prevents people from engagement with daily life, including going to work.

Let’s talk about it

“As a society, we are not as informed about mental health as we are about physical problems,” said Gurgiana Stevkovski, mental health director of San Diego Family Care.

“When you can’t see it, it’s hard to understand if you haven’t been through it. People can be quick to make generalizations. They may say: ‘Just get over it.’ There’s a lack of general knowledge.

“Whatever the disorder is, everybody’s experience is different. Depression can look different, depending on the person going through it. People don’t understand the depth of it. They may not know how hard it is to ask for help.”

San Diego Family Care centers offer both physical and mental health services. They have translators for Spanish, Laotian, Hmong, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin. Stevkovski said that each culture has varying views of mental illness, but they all share one response.

“One commonality is the hesitancy of speaking about it and seeking treatment,” she said. “Most families don’t openly talk, so getting them to come in for treatment is difficult. But people are more comfortable when someone from their background, who speaks their language, is in the room. It bridges the gap between the disorder and seeking help.”

Stevkovski emphasized how isolated a person struggling with mental challenges feels. Offering reassurance that they aren’t alone is crucial.

“It also helps (the ally) to educate themselves about the specific disorder,” she said. “Support is the biggest thing. It’s good to be understanding and patient.”

Changing the mindset

Some people who aren’t familiar with mental illness make inaccurate correlations between mental illness and violence.

Jaccard worries that, when a mass shooting suspect has a mental illness, the media doesn’t emphasize that it’s an aberration and far from the norm. She also pointed out that using such terms as “wacko,” “psycho” and “crazy” can result in self-stigmatization and people with mental disorders isolating themselves.

“Negative words like that should be replaced with words like silly and goofball,” said Jaccard, whose late brother had schizophrenia. She recommends using the phrase “a person with a mental illness” instead of “a mentally ill person.”

“In all cases, put the person first,” Jaccard said. “‘Sally has schizophrenia.’ Put the emphasis on the person. It takes longer to write or say, but it will help. Reducing stigma is a very powerful thing that impacts people’s lives. Small changes are a big deal.”

NAMI San Diego

With paid staff and volunteers, this nonprofit educational and advocacy organization supports people with mental illnesses and their families, and strives to dispel ignorance and stigma around these disorders.

Join the group for its annual 5K walk on Saturday, April 30. For more information: namisandiego.org and namiwalks.org/SanDiegoCounty.

San Diego Family Care

With clinics in Linda Vista and the City Heights area, this nonprofit provides healthcare to adults and children. They offer mental health services with translators in six languages. Also, the primary-care clinics have behavioral therapists who can help with diagnosis and short-term treatment of mental disorders. For more information: sdfamilycare.org.

For local resources, suicide prevention and crisis lines, go to www.up2sd.org/find-help/resources.

Wood is a San Diego freelance writer.