Mental Health Awareness and the Fight Against Self-Stigma

Welcome to October! As we settle into this new month, I’d like to highlight two important mental health events worth reflecting on.

  1. Mental Health Awareness Week occupies the first full week of October (6th-12th this year). Its mission is in the name: to bring awareness to mental health conditions in order to support ourselves or loved ones with more compassion, more empathy — less stigma.

  2. World Mental Health Day falls on October 10 annually. This year’s theme is “mental health is a universal human right.” The fact is people with mental health conditions deserve to thrive, but often cannot due to barriers like financial constraints, limited access — and stigma.

It’s worth noting that both of these focus on awareness as a starting point. Why is that?


Why is mental health awareness important?

Awareness, without judgment or prejudice, is a critical component of mindfulness and self-love. Awareness opens the door to deeper understanding and empathy towards others AND oneself. This is particularly impactful for those experiencing mental illness given the stigma commonly associated with it.

With awareness comes compassion, empathy, and the power to fight mental health stigma and pursue emotional healing.


what is mental health stigma?

NAMI defines mental health stigma as “the negative attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes that society holds about individuals who experience mental health conditions,” and the CDC goes on to say “stigma, whether caused by bias, purposeful exclusion, or a lack of understanding about the causes for a personal struggle, is harmful.”

Globally, societal stigma has led to inequities in mental health care and services. But stigma can also be perpetuated by individuals unto themselves. This is referred to as internalized self-stigma.

Taken together, individuals and collective communities both contribute to day-to-day stigma, which can look like this:

  • Stereotyping, bullying, or other mistreatment because of judgment and biases against your mental health status.

  • Deliberate social ostracization, rejection, or systemic “othering.”

  • Being told that your mental illness is “fake,” or a moral failing instead of a medical issue — therefore mental illness is your “fault.”

  • Judging yourself in a similar manner, until you actually believe you are to blame when your mental health is less than perfect. (‘Perfection,’ by the way, does not exist. Hard stop.)

  • Self-isolation from loved ones or care providers, due to fear of judgment, embarrassment, even shame. This can be literal, like declining social invitations. It can also be subtle, like keeping one’s struggles a ‘secret’ lest others judge them as they judge themselves.

I’ve emphasized the last 2 points because they represent self-stigma, which is a perfect target for therapy. Let’s look at this closer look now.

All stigma is harmful, but Why is self-stigma especially bad?

Self-stigma creates a problem cycle that may look very similar to this:

  1. Feeling bad leads to judging oneself for feeling bad, “failing,” or not feeling ‘better.’

  2. Judging oneself brings up negative self-talk and self-blame. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), these are considered cognitive distortions.

  3. Self-blame causes a person in pain to turn further inward and self-isolate.

  4. Without coping skills or a safe support system, self-isolating creates an echo chamber of self-stigma in one’s own mind.

  5. Feeling [badly] becomes feeling [even worse].

  6. Meanwhile, the negative self-talk that started this process has neither stopped nor improved. It simply repeats an unhelpful narrative, adding to internal judgments and self-blame in a cycle.

The longer this cycle continues unchanged, the more challenging it may seem to find lasting inner peace. And the real driver is internalized stigma at each turn.

what can we do about self-stigma?

Simply put, we just need to break the cycle:

The ‘nice’ thing about self-stigma is that it is actually within one’s power to change. We may not have influence over stigma from society as a whole, but we can 100% control the way we respond to internal and external stigma alike.

If at any point we disrupt the flow of self-judgment to self-isolation, we have an opportunity to introduce positive change. And awareness is the first tool in our arsenal.

In theory, it’s as simple as that.

Easier said than done! How do we start making these changes?

The good news is you don’t have to do it alone. This inner work is tough, support is out there, and you do in fact deserve said support. You can start by reaching out to a trusted loved one — or, if that’s not available to you, a reputable care organization or helping professional.

As a therapist, some of my favorite work is helping clients break maladaptive patterns. Change here can be achieved using various strategies, including but not limited to mindfulness skills, psychological distancing, and cognitive restructuring. With consistent practice, clients can learn to turn maladaptive cycles into adaptive ones, even in the face of stigma.

That said, I am aware that barriers outside of self-stigma exist, and that not everyone has access to a well-matched 1:1 therapist. Well, I’ve got even more good news — you don’t need to be sitting in a therapy office to begin moving toward personal healing and positive change.

  • If you’re in college, start with your student health department.

  • If you’re a government employee, check with state or federal vocational rehab programs and support groups.

  • If you use or overuse substances, consider dropping into a local AA, NA, or Al-Anon group.

  • No matter who you are, there are many helplines staffed by trained professionals nationwide who can address a wide range of mental health concerns in a stigma-free space.* I’ve listed just a handful below, all of which are confidential, and most (if not all) operate 24/7.**

It is my firm belief that everyone deserves compassionate, non-judgmental care and support when they need it, always. So if you experience self-stigma but don’t yet feel ready to reach out to a loved one or even a personal therapist, I hope you’ll consider some of these other options. They won’t necessarily replace the in-depth work you would do with a therapist, but they can absolutely provide resources and are very much a step in the right direction on your journey to healing.

Above all else, remember that there is no shame in asking for help, ever.

Need support now?

* At this time, I do not personally recommend utilizing AI chatbots, especially in the event of a psychiatric emergency, due to (1) the inherent sensitivity of mental health topics, (2) the scarcity of robust, evidence-based efficacy research, and (3) an overabundance of caution around potential privacy risks related to machine learning, opaque data storage/usage, and lack of HIPAA safeguards in the technology.

** In the event of a mental health crisis, you always have the option of dialing 911 for an ambulance, or transporting yourself (if safe) to your nearest hospital emergency room for an in-person psychiatric evaluation. Further referrals may be requested from there.

Charlene Chowawareness, stigma, shame, helplines