Mental Health Stigmas

Too often, mental health struggles are brushed aside or unfairly labeled as signs of weakness. Why does society attach stigma to the healing of one's mind? KKV's Behavioral Health team is on a mission to dispel the misconceptions surrounding mental health. 

Many factors go into hiding one's mental health struggles from the world. “Mental struggles are often seen as a sign of failure or weakness in part because many of us tend to see the body and mind as separate,” says Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Dana Monday.  Some professionals see this perceived separation as a root cause of why people think their mental health problems are significantly different, and less important, than problems of physical health. “People may not seek mental health care because they may think their bodily health is more important and that the answer to their mental health problems is to just be stronger, to power through it,” says Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Alexis Grieves.  

Such barriers to mental health care are embedded in many different cultures, including those who seek help at KKV. “I've noticed these beliefs about not wanting to seek mental health care are common among my Asian and Pacific Island patients,” Alexis added. In some cultures, mental health issues are not talked about because there is shame surrounding them. Shame can be a huge barrier to care. Also, many individuals don’t want to feel that their mental health needs are a burden to others, which further hinders them from seeking care.   

Breaking down these barriers and reducing stigmas pose many challenges. Each person faces their own difficulties, which calls for tailored approaches to care. “It's not just talking about it, but the way that we talk about it.  If we’re not careful, mental health diagnoses can create just another label attached to the patient. Even some providers have stigma surrounding mental health,” explains Alexis.  

Mental Health experts also highlight the importance of patient-centered care. Something that usually deters patients from seeking help is not knowing how they will be treated once they reveal their struggles. “Mental health treatment is seen as a sort of pandora's box. People work so hard to overcome their struggles and hide them away. There’s this very justifiable fear that if they touch on these hard issues, they will get completely overwhelmed,” says Clinical Psychologist Matthias Darricarrere. “One important thing to me in this work is to honor that the patient is the key member of the treatment team. In mental health, we want to think of the doctor and the patient as having shared power over what the treatment is going to be. We want to honor what people choose. It’s their body, their mind, their lives.” Reducing mental health stigmas requires all parties to work in unison.  It requires all of us to encourage more conversations that change the way mental health is talked about.   

“As mental health providers, we really see the whole person. Many mental health problems can be treated with medication, but they are better treated with social intervention.”

Another barrier to mental health treatment is not knowing where to turn to for help. KKV seeks to break down this barrier by offering myriad resources to help those struggling with mental health issues, not only through our Behavioral Health department, but also through programs you wouldn't typically label as “mental health services”. “Pretty much everything KKV does helps with mental health. So many things our clients struggle with weigh on their mental health, like insurance coverage, housing support, finances, caring for family members, and accessing healthy food, all of which KKV addresses in various departments.  Even our youth and public housing programs are helping people improve their mental health,” says Dana. “As mental health providers, we really see the whole person.  Many mental health problems that are treated with medication can be treated more effectively with social intervention.”  

KKV is dedicated to eliminating mental health stigma, breaking down barriers to mental health care and healing conversations, and building a trusting and safe environment that place our patients in the center of their healing, both mental and physical.