Mental Health Stigma: How to Find Common Ground & Get Healthy by Stephanie Cannoe

A mental health diagnosis is empowering. You learn that you are not alone and recovery is possible, and that there is no longer the question, "What is wrong with me?" We have all had a cold, which is manageable without medication. However, when that cold is a symptom of a more serious illness, then we need to address a much more complicated problem, similar to: 

• debilitating anxiety
• depression
• psychosis
• any mental health symptom that impacts an individual’s ability to function daily

Seek to understand the complexity of the illness and don’t assume that someone with a mental health diagnosis is dis-empowered, uneducated or unenlightened. Instead, engage in a conversation and ask questions to broaden your perspective. Mental health stigma is the problem, not the treatment plan.

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