October is mental health awareness month--which includes **you**
It’s October, which is spooky season! It’s also mental health awareness month, as many folks on social media reminded me. As I scrolled through posts, I was struck by the presentation of statistics around mental illness---such as, “Did you know 1 in 4 people have a mental health issue?” and “Nearly half of Americans experience a mental illness in their lifetime!” I’m so glad we’re working to destigmatize mental health and mental health support, but the framing totally threw me.
As a therapist, I see people for a myriad of reasons. I see clients who are trying to understand why they can’t be vulnerable in romantic relationships, who are trying to recognize and repattern the feelings of shame that are rooted in childhood, who want to reconnect with the passion and sense of confidence and purpose they felt before their last relationship ended, gutting them. Along with these experiences, my clients often experience various iterations or anxiety or depression. Very understandable, considering the challenges they’re seeking to better understand, not to mention those additional variables like family history, and the amount of various chemicals that float around our brains.
To me, hearing that 1 in 4 people have a mental health issue sounds exactly as confusing as the statistic, “1 in 4 people have a physical health issue” might sound to you. Like, what does that even mean? Are you talking about an acute injury that can be treated over a few months, or a chronic health issue that requires a lifetime of coordinated care to keep someone healthy? These questions come to mind because, of course, we all have physical health issues. We are sometimes well, sometimes ill, sometimes extremely ill and in need of intense care, and often times, we’re somewhere in between.
The danger of framing mental health in this way is that it distances ‘us’ from those who seek out mental health support. This ‘one in four’ framing implies that someone we know, maybe our neighbor, maybe our coworker, could be experiencing mental health challenges. It differentiates the ‘us’ who rally around supporting those with mental illness to ‘those people’ who need our support. It feels comfortable to say that therapy is a great support for other people. But what about ‘us’? What about you?
“We’ve divided the world into those who need help and those who receive help. The truth is, we are both.” –Brene Brown
So here is my challenge to you, the mental health advocate that has not yet begun your therapy journey. Tune into what may feel uncomfortable about seeking out therapy. Do challenges you’re experiencing not seem ‘big or important enough’ for therapy? Does spending this time and money on yourself and your growth feel ‘indulgent’? Whatever comes up, try to observe it without judgment, it’s just information. Then, hold that information with the same gentle compassion you would hold for a trusted friend. Allow yourself to be deserving of this support. If we all have mental health challenges at some time, that includes you. If we all deserve support, that includes you. We’re all in this mental health adventure together. As both a therapist and a therapy client, I can’t wait to welcome you to journey.