Almost two decades ago, Portugal took the radical step of decriminalizing the usage of all drugs. TIME provides an in-depth look at how this change has impacted stigma for substance use disorders and highlights other solutions around the world.
New Legislation - Mental Health Education in schools
When school health curriculum fails to address behavioral health, it further contributes to the feeling that a student’s mental health is not as important as their physical health. This article looks at new legislation proposals that would require mental health to be included in the larger health curriculum. This is vital in reducing stigma for students who wish to discuss their emotional well-being or seek treatment, and ensuring that they have a right to health without restrictions or shame.
Johnny’s & Megan’s Story - A Call for Reforming the Mental Health Care System (Video)
In this video for Rooted in Rights, Johnny and Megan discuss their experiences with behavioral health human rights violations and how these experiences inspired them to become advocates. They challenge the distorted perceptions around mental health and criminalization, recognizing that a lack of available services often result in the incarceration of people experiencing behavioral health crises.
Missouri Has 23% Of Its Foster Kids On Strong Psychoactive Drugs. A Lawsuit Claims The State Isn’t Keeping Records
Buzzfeed news takes an in-depth look into the Missouri foster care system’s failures to provide well-managed psychiatric care to children within the system. The article states that “this mirrors a national trend: Children in foster care are at least twice as likely to be taking these powerful drugs than kids outside the system, according to an analysis of Medicaid data.” While many explanations are provided, the double stigma of trauma and behavioral health plays a major factor in these human rights violations.
That Time the United States Sterilized 60,000 of its Citizens
The Huffington Post delves into the United States eugenics movement and how it targeted the so-called “mentally ill” or “mentally deficient” during the twentieth century. By forcibly sterilizing patients within psychiatric care the state sent the message that reproduction within this group was harmful and in need of control. The stigma of this movement remains today in the distorted perceptions of consumers of behavioral health and their parental abilities.
The Stigma Shadow Over the Opioid Crisis
4 Organizations Fighting For The Mental Health Of Asian Americans
“There is a powerful stigma surrounding mental illness in Asian American communities which is causing a crisis for their mental health. In a 2010 study of Asian Americans’ use of mental health services, participants said the primary factor preventing their use of mental health services was due to it being looked down on in their communities.
How exactly does this stigma against mental illness work within Asian American communities? Here’s what it looked like for me.”
Male Gender Role Stress and PTSD
“Each society has its own rules about what's considered appropriate behavior for men and women. In Western societies, men have traditionally been expected to be self-reliant, not emotional (except with regard to the expression of anger), confident and strong. This is the traditional masculine gender role. Men differ in the extent to which they follow these rules. However, some of these rules go against basic and normal human responses to stress. So it's not surprising that a number of studies have shown that men who try to strictly adhere to these rules and who fear violating these rules may be at risk for a wide range of negative outcomes including PTSD.”
Mental Health Stigma Kept this Man in the Shadows
As an Iowa community discussed the construction of a new inpatient mental health hospital in 2018, Marty Parrish responded to their stigmatizing remarks by sharing his personal story with mental health and addiction issues and the importance of inpatient treatment for his recovery. "I was always afraid of being judged because of the stigma against people with mental health," he said in a recent interview. "But after that very hostile meeting in Clive, I had to tell my story. I had to talk."
Stigma Against Gay People Can Be Deadly
The Anti-Stigma Project defines Double Stigma as: how the stigma associated with race, religion, age, sexual orientation, etc. is compounded by an additional layer of stigma related to behavioral health challenges. This article from the New York Times illustrates how stigma associated with the LGBTQIA+ experience can affect behavioral health and access to behavioral health services, and the strong psycho-social impacts of removing that stigma. Click the title to access the full article from the New York Times.