Time To End Mental Health Stigma
The global pandemic heightened awareness of mental health issues as people began to talk more about their symptoms of anxiety and depression. But is this enough to lift the stigma of mental illness?
It’s time for society to view mental illness for what it is – a set of “treatable biological conditions that affect all of us in some way”, says psychiatrist Dr Ilse du Plessis of Denmar Specialist Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria, a subsidiary of Mediclinic SA. “Mental illness isn’t something you can choose to ‘believe in’. It’s just as real as physical conditions like hypertension.”
Scientific progress
This approach to mental illness has only recently come to be understood – and practices are still evolving. “Treatments are changing as knowledge about diseases change,” Dr Du Plessis explains. “In turn, our knowledge has changed proportionately to our measuring systems.” A century ago, the science linking psychiatric disorders to specific neurotransmitters and tracts in the brain did not yet exist. Clinicians have since made strides in this area and are able to address specific diseases by focusing on and modulating specific neurotransmitters.
Room to evolve
Although psychiatry has made major progress, and treatment can now offer most patients the chance of a normal life, Dr Du Plessis says there’s still much room for improvement. “One of the problems is that people still seem to forget the brain is an organ, and this is what we’re treating. Psychiatrists are medical specialists treating a physical condition. Just as a specialist would treat a condition like, say, diabetes with medication in combination with lifestyle changes in the form of insulin and excluding sugar from the diet, we treat conditions with specific medication, psychotherapy and key lifestyle interventions.”
Major cause of disability
This lack of understanding is why stigmas persist, in spite of the prevalence of mental illness – according to the World Health Organization, mental illness will be the leading cause of disability by 2025. And at any given time, one out of four people in the world suffer from a diagnosable mental illness.
While non-governmental organisations (NGOs) launch awareness campaigns and companies compile policies to promote inclusion for the mentally ill, society remains generally close-minded. Dr Du Plessis points out that medical aid funding for mental health is only available selectively, even in life-threatening cases. Some workplaces remain discriminatory, she adds, citing the case of a patient excluded from work functions and salary increases after being hospitalised with mental illness. Patients may also find it difficult to qualify for life insurance.
For these reasons, facilities like Denmar Specialist Psychiatric Hospital are so valuable. Patients are cared for by a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and occupational therapists in a stigma-free environment. This is crucial, Dr Du Plessis says, as the stigma of their mental illness causes many people to self-medicate with substances like alcohol, cannabis, or codeine-containing painkillers – often with disastrous results.
“There was a time when one couldn’t mention the word cancer without making people feel uncomfortable – and today it’s a commonly spoken of condition. Hopefully, the same will one day be true of mental illnesses.”
Image Credit: Getty Image
