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| Research shows that one in four people in the United States is diagnosed with a mental health disorder, so it must be approached as an opportunity for recovery. |
Mental health is good health.
Research shows that one in four people in the United States will be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. It’s so common that people often feel that this is a sign of defeat and that something is wrong.
Novant Health therapist Sheena Baker encourages people not to get discouraged by a diagnosis, but rather to use it to help them on the road to recovery.
“First of all, don’t panic,” she says. “We’re just naming what you’re already experiencing. Naming what you’re working on helps people who can support you know what to do.” Masu.”
Baker said this is how he explains mental health diagnoses to his patients. That way, they won’t feel defeated by their mental health.
“As a therapist, when I have to give people a diagnosis, this is what I tell them,” she said. “I tell them this [the label] It’s not for them either. Your doctor, therapist, and insurance company will know what to do. ”
The big picture is that when someone already has a mental health problem, stereotypes around the label often carry negative connotations about what’s going on in that person’s brain. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the topic of mental health became increasingly talked about and accepted by the public.
“Social media is [breaking mental health stereotypes]” Baker said. “There’s a lot to be said about the negativity that comes from social media. But what I’m grateful for is… [mental health] It’s more openly talked about and people are making it more normal to talk about it. ”
If you know someone who has recently been diagnosed with a mental illness, don’t treat them differently than you did before the diagnosis. Doing so can trigger thoughts that there is something wrong with you, which can make you feel worse.
“Stay normal,” Baker emphasized. “Respond in the same way you would if someone told you, ‘I have a cold,’ or ‘I recently found out that I have a shellfish allergy.'” Treat them like people, not people with mental health disorders. Please continue. Sometimes people may become overactive and ask the person, “Are you okay?” Remaining normal is the best way to avoid making people feel bad about the diagnosis. ”
The question remains why people have so much trouble accepting their diagnosis, even though it is so common. Baker feels it is primarily driven by cultural influences.
“We have the drive to be okay,” she said. “When we don’t feel okay, it must mean there’s something wrong with me. No, it’s not. We are taught that if we feel a certain way, we are choosing to feel a certain way. We learn about mental health because there are actually chemical and neurological aspects involved. We need to make sure that we don’t treat it as something unusual.”
Baker said he likes to ask patients questions to find out what makes them upset about their diagnosis. She often gives simple but powerful advice.
“Usually what bothers people the most is when they hear a diagnosis, they feel like it means they’re broken and there’s something seriously wrong with them,” she said. “That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It means your brain is doing something and we’ve figured out what it is. That’s a good thing.”
Baker said: “Mental health is just a type of health condition. [healthcare]. Why separate the brain from the rest of the body? Without the brain, nothing can function. Therefore, we need to make people understand that the mind is also just a part of the body that can cause problems. If we can help people understand that, it will help them understand their diagnosis better. ”
