Not a topic to be discussed commonly in the communities of Anchorage, AK, and with plenty of stigmas attached, mental illness, in one form or another, affects at least tens of millions of Americans today. Honoring National Mental Health Month, Midnight Sun Home Care would like to aid families wrestling with mental illness to help break the chains of silence, and especially, to urge them to search for treatments that can improve their quality of life.
Slowly but surely, movie stars and other people inside the spotlight are starting to openly and vulnerably share their own battles with such difficult health issues as anxiety and depression. Nevertheless, we still have quite a distance to go. Considerably less understood and more negatively viewed conditions, such as psychosis and schizophrenia, continue to be commonly covered up. The fact is, research obtained from the National Institutes of Health suggests that a psychosis diagnosis is the most highly stigmatized and discriminated against type of mental health issue.
Sadly, this fearfulness of stigmatization is forming “a pervasive barrier that prevents many individuals in the U.S. from engaging in mental health care,” according to a 2014 literature review published in the Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services journal.
So, how can we, especially those of us in the home care industry, help people who have mental health concerns feel safer in revealing their struggles, enabling them to acquire the treatment they need? Several mental health advocacy organizations are making strides. For instance, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has established the Stigmafree Pledge that can help promote awareness and acceptance. And, the American Psychological Association (APA) has published an academic journal, Stigma and Health.
For more help with mental health issues and ways in which home care in Alaska can really help, contact Midnight Sun Home Care.
