Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health

[Applause]

let me share some facts with you

statistics tell us one in four of

everyone in this room tonight will be

affected by mental health or a

neurological disorder at some point in

your lives two-thirds of those people

will never seek help from a health

professional

if you think that’s the serving

treatment statistic

one person dies from suicide every 40

seconds

that is 800 000 people per year

suicide is a direct link to mental

health

one has to ask why

why

medically and technologically societies

are still happening

good evening ladies and gentlemen the

answer is actually quite simple

public and personal perceptions and

attitudes summed up in one word stigma

specifically the stigma around mental

health

stigma is defined as negative perception

due to a physical condition or mental

condition such as mental health

with so many people suffering from some

form of mental illness would be assumed

that it is a common situation and widely

accepted in our community

however sadly this is not the case

the sigma associated with mental health

is a result of misunderstandings of

ignorance

those suffering mental illness are often

shunned neglected or even feared

they are seen as people who can’t

control their emotions or are crazy for

feeling and acting the way they do

this also often results in those

suffering to feel ashamed unworthy and

hopeless this only makes their condition

worse

history reveals how horrific it was

anyone suffering a mental illness

the blackberry behavioral hospital

describes the methods that we use one

was to see eyesight-like tools above the

eyes into the brain to save the nerve

connections

jupiter was also used which include

drilling holes into people’s heads

electric shock therapy was also used

those suffering from mental disorders

throughout history have been shunned

neglected and abused

there is speculation that these methods

may still be used in mental hospitals

today

reflecting on historical cures

highlights historic fear and uncertainty

surrounding mental health to the point

where people thought drilling holes on

people’s heads was a good idea

and it’s hard to move on from these ways

of thinking through just certain mental

illness for what it is

i often ask myself as a person who

suffers from mental health disorders

whether people think i’m insane sad for

no reason or not stroke enough to handle

my emotions

even when there is a biological reason

as to why i’m suffering for australian

people assume that to be suffering i’ll

have to be sad

still along the corner and constantly

being in trouble clearly here i am not

sitting in the corner being miserable

but people have the thing a stereotype

that apparently i need to make

mental health has always been a part of

my life it seems like you’ve got to pick

me but i could never explain why i was

sad or constantly overthinking every

thought i thought it was normal

however i realized that my classmates

and other people in my life didn’t seem

to go through what i was going through

people would ask me why are you sad all

the taunts would come that is why

antidepressants were invented

or everyone has emotions what’s so

different about yours

sometimes they’re even joking about

killing themselves or making fun of

people with mental health disorders

how would they know that i am many

others will suddenly suffering

it’s so frustrating the mental illness

has such a negative brutal fever

surrounding you

such thing more only creates more misery

damage as those who suffer tend to

inflict self seekers such as feelings of

shame hopelessness and isolation

reluctance to ask for help or seek

treatment

mental illness is serious but it doesn’t

have to be viewed as a negative i wonder

why so many people are afraid of people

with mental health disorders or feeding

to the negative steamer

they reveal their perceptions throughout

your cultures lack of understanding my

family friends or others

your opportunities for employment or

social interaction will mean physical

violence or harassment

as a sufferer it

the bone is on this

negative stimulus is perpetuating what

is already a tragic situation in

communities everywhere the senseless

loss of so many lives to suicide

eight hundred thousand

it is time to change the way we see

mental illness and those who suffer from

it

accepting amounts of illness and

disregarding outdated stigmas and

stereotypes not only make a society more

positive but increase the number of

people who come forward and seek help

oprah winfrey months today the greatest

discovery of all time is that a person

can change the future by merely changing

its attitude

we must all re-educate ourselves on this

human condition and not perpetuate the

justices of the past

thanks for listening