Mental Health Awareness Month is all about breaking down stigma. The prejudice and bias people with a mental illness experience is worldwide and can cause some to avoid seeking treatment when needed. "Stigma, prejudice, and discrimination against people with mental illness can be subtle or it can be obvious—but no matter the magnitude, it can lead to harm. People with mental illness are marginalized and discriminated against in various ways, but understanding what that looks like and how to address and eradicate it can help." (
The American Psychiatric Association (APA)). Stigma involves a lack of understanding, which can lead to fear, and fear can cause people to behave in ways that are harmful to others. The effects of stigma can lead to a worsening of symptoms; when people feel afraid or embarrassed by their mental health status it causes harm and setback. Stigma also applies to people's thoughts and opinions on psychiatric care, which can cause people to avoid seeking treatment when needed.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/mental-health-stigma#what-is-a-stigma
“In this ‘beautifully written… remarkable history’ (Alix Spiegel), anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker chronicles the progress and setbacks in the struggle against mental illness stigma—from the eighteenth century, through America’s major wars, and into today’s high-tech economy. Nobody’s Normal argues that stigma is a social process that began the moment we defined mental illness, but one that we ultimately have the power to change. Combining cutting-edge science, cross-cultural research, and Grinker’s own family history, Nobody’s Normal explores how communities throughout the world respond to neurodiversity and offers a path to end the shadow of stigma.”--Back cover.
Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts by Winch, Guy
Explains the long-term fallout that can result from seemingly minor emotional and psychological injuries and offers concrete, easy-to-use exercises backed up by hard cutting-edge science to aid in recovery.
"A bold, expert, and actionable map for the re-invention of America's broken mental health care system As director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Thomas Insel was giving a presentation when the father of a boy with schizophrenia yelled from the back of the room, "Our house is on fire and you're telling me about the chemistry of the paint! What are you doing to put out the fire?" Dr. Insel knew in his heart that the answer was not nearly enough. The gargantuan American mental health industry was not healing millions who were desperately in need. He left his position atop the mental health research world to investigate all that was broken-and what a better path to mental health might look like. In the United States, we have treatments that work, but our system fails at every stage to deliver care well. Even before COVID, mental illness was claiming a life every eleven minutes by suicide. Quality of care varies widely, and much of the field lacks accountability. We focus on drug therapies for symptom reduction rather than on plans for long-term recovery. Care is often unaffordable and unavailable, particularly for those who need it most and are homeless or incarcerated. Where was the justice for the millions of Americans suffering from mental illness? Who was helping their families? But Dr. Insel also found that we do have approaches that work, both in the U.S. and globally. Mental illnesses are medical problems, but he discovers that the cures for the crisis are not just medical, but social. This path to healing, built upon what he calls the three Ps (people, place, and purpose), is more straightforward than we might imagine. Dr. Insel offers a comprehensive plan for our failing system and for families trying to discern the way forward. The fruit of a lifetime of expertise and a global quest for answers, Healing is a hopeful, actionable account and achievable vision for us all in this time of mental health crisis"--. Provided by publisher.
"Stigma is a dehumanizing process, a method of shaming and blaming that is embedded in our beliefs about who does and does not have value within society. In Lazy, Crazy, and Disgusting, medical anthropologists Alexandra Brewis and Amber Wutich explore another side of the issue: the startling fact that well-intentioned public health campaigns can create new and sometimes damaging stigma, even when they are successful. Brewis and Wutich present a novel, synthetic argument about how stigmas act as a massive driver of global disease and suffering, killing or sickening billions every year. They focus on three of the most complex, difficult-to-fix global health efforts: bringing sanitation to all, treating mental illness, and preventing obesity. They explain how and why humans so readily stigmatize, how this derails ongoing public health efforts, and why this process invariably hurts people who are already at risk. They also explore how new stigmas enter global health so easily and consider why destigmatization is so very difficult. Finally, the book offers potential solutions that may be able to prevent, challenge, and fix stigma. Stigma elimination, Brewis and Wutich conclude, must be recognized as a necessary and core component of all global health efforts. Drawing on the authors' keen observations and decades of fieldwork, Lazy, Crazy, and Disgusting combines a wide array of ethnographic evidence from around the globe to demonstrate conclusively how stigma undermines global health's basic goals to create both health and justice."--From publisher.
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world's foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers' capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments--from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga--that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain's natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk's own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal--and offers new hope for reclaiming lives. -- From back cover. Publisher's description.
"Meet Black women who have learned through hard lessons the importance of self-care and how to break through the cultural and family resistance to seeking therapy and professional mental health care. The Strong Black Woman Syndrome. For generations, in response to systemic racism, Black women and African American culture created the persona of the Strong Black Woman, a woman who, motivated by service and sacrifice, handles, manages, and overcomes any problem, any obstacle. The syndrome calls on Black women to be the problem-solvers and chief caretakers for everyone in their lives―never buckling, never feeling vulnerable, and never bothering with their pain. Hidden mental health crisis of anxiety and depression. To be a Black woman in America is to know you cannot protect your children or guarantee their safety, your value is consistently questioned, and even being “twice as good” is often not good enough. Consequently, Black women disproportionately experience anxiety and depression. Studies now conclusively connect racism and mental health―and physical health. Take care of your emotional health. You deserve to be emotionally healthy for yourself and those you love. More and more young Black women are re-examining the Strong Black Woman syndrome and engaging in self-care practices that change their lives"--. Provided by publisher.
"Teenagers today are struggling like never before. They're facing a multitude of problems -- bullying, divorced or absentee parents, physical and sexual abuse, anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts -- in the midst of one of the most uncertain eras in modern history. Worst of all, many teens stay silent about their struggles, fighting a lonely battle that is claiming far too many lives. Never Fight Alone is a book for teens that consists of 51 inspiring interviews with all sorts of people who have faced similar problems. From teen entrepreneurs to former professional athletes to inspirational authors and speakers, they describe the obstacles they faced, how they overcame them, and offer life-changing tips for how readers can do the same. In this book, you will learn: how other people overcame adversity, coping methods to deal with mental health issues, how to talk to others about your problems, actionable steps that you can take today to make your life worth living, ways to be happier and more positive, how to find supportive friends and mentors." -- Back cover.
"'When I was younger, maybe ten or eleven, I started to feel like I was different from everybody else . . . Then I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. And trichotillomania (that's pulling out your own hair). And then generalized anxiety disorder. And then panic disorder. Since then, I've been on a roller coaster, with plenty of ups and downs'--Sophie Riegel. Part one of this book brings you along on Sophie's personal journey from despair to diagnosis and treatment, and what she experienced along the way. Part two of this book is about you, whether you're a teenager or someone who lives with or works with teens"--Cover, page 4.
Mental health is a complex issue. It affects everything that we do, but can be hard to talk about. Siebert shines a light on the troubled history of thinking about and treating mental illness. She tells the stories of pioneers in the field of psychiatry who fought for more compassionate, respectful and effective treatments. While providing information on the major mental health diagnoses, Siebert also shares ideas and resources to support those who are suffering, including holistic ways of balancing mind, body, heart and spirit. -- adapted from jacket and Amazon info
Rae Earl offers her personalized advice on the A to Zs of mental health, social media, family, and friendship.
"Anxiety. It's an emotion that rears its head almost every day, from the normal worries and concerns that most of us experience, to outright fear when something scary happens, to the anxiety disorders that many kids live with daily. But what causes anxiety? And what can we do about it? All About Anxiety tackles these questions from every possible angle. Readers will learn what's going on in their brain and central nervous system when they feel anxious. They'll learn about the evolutionary reasons for fear and anxiety and that anxiety isn't always a bad thing--except for when it is! Most importantly, kids will discover new strategies to manage their anxiety so they can live and thrive with anxiety."-- Provided by publisher.
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