May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Research shows that the number one obstacle in seeking treatment for mental illness is stigma. Negative stereotypes and improper understanding of mental illness keep spinning the vicious circle of stigma. To counter this paradox, professional and grassroots organizations, schools, communities, hospitals and even media outlets have joined together in an effort to raise the awareness about mental health.
On the media front, Discovery Health Channel is broadcasting PsychWeek: Six Nights of Understanding. This series takes you into the world of people who experience Anxiety, Rage, Dissociative Disorder, Schizophrenia, Addiction, Bipolar Disorder, Hoarding, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. These individuals and their families give us a glimpse of their life, of their struggles and triumphs. Their courage will help educate about mental illness - and chip away at the stigma that surrounds it as well.
This is what I call "Appointment Television". So clear your schedule or set your DVR. This promises to be a very important series. Click here for complete programming.
If you, or someone you know is struggling, remember, there's no shame in having a mental illness.
Byrne, P. (2010). Challenging healthcare discrimination: COMMENTARY ON ... DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 16 (1), 60-62 DOI: 10.1192/apt.bp.108.006106
