Breaking the Stigma on Mental Illness
by Angela Fernandez, School Psychologist Although Mental Health Awareness Month has come to an end, the need for awareness and acceptance of mental illness has not. I encourage you to read on to learn more about mental illness, stigma, and steps you can take to help end the stigma associated with mental illness. Let’s first talk about what it means to have a mental illness. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2021), a mental illness is a condition defined by a combination of changes in thought patterns, emotions, and behavior that cause distress and/or dysfunction in social, family, and/or school/work activities. But I’m not aware of anyone who has a mental illness, so it must not be THAT common, right? Wrong! Mental illnesses are very common. So far in 2021, 19% of adults in the United States of America are experiencing a mental illness. That is over 47 million Americans (Mental Health America, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive, 2021)! Children are also