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Addiction and Mental Health Stigma...

It is time for stigma relating with mental health and addictions to be let go. Working as a counselor for over 30 years I find it hard to believe there is still stigma around this topic. Society is improving yet there is still disgrace related with mental health and addictions. Labeling, judgment, lack of compassion, misunderstanding and wanting to keep the same perspective on mental health and addictions for years is what keeps the blaming alive.
There are many theories on addictions and mental health. What theory you want to use is your choice. Let us just look at how a new perspective can help let go of stigma and focus on the core issues rather than blaming.
When someone is in a bad car accident do we shame them if they get medical care? Do we look at the person in the hospital bed in a full body cast laid up as being lazy because they cannot go to work? Should we make fun of the diabetic who takes medication and has a diet they follow to keep their blood sugar stabilized? The answer to all the above questions should be no.
Do you believe people like having addiction problems or mental illness? I never met a person who wanted their addiction to substance use or their mental health issues. Do you know of anyone who really wants their mental health issues or addiction? Let us take a step back and look at the big picture rather than seeing things in tunnel vision.
How or why do people get addicted or have a mental health problem? We can see the outside of a person if they have a black eye or cut on their hand. We do not see everything that is going on inside them. How is their brain working, how much dopamine or serotonin do they have circulating in their receptors. What is going on with their inside organs, are they functioning properly? We do not see their past experiences or what they are going through in their life now. Connecting the dots to a person’s wellness takes a lot more then just seeing their outside to understand what is really going on with a person. Let us take a step back and look at the big picture.
Let us investigate a diagnosis of someone with depression. There are many possibilities for someone to be diagnosed with depression. There are criteria that needs met for this diagnosis. What is the cause for this diagnosis? They could be having situational depression with loss of a loved one, an ending marriage, dealing with too much stress in their life, a chemical imbalance, substance abuse problems, physical and sexual abuse issues, trauma, medication used for other health issues, poor health, a family history, loneliness, hormonal levels, an accident, brain injury and more. The point is there are many reasons for mental health issues and what can cause them.
Think of a person who has a heart problem. What is the cause of their heart problem? Some reasons a person can have a heart issue is, they have a birth defect, under a lot of stress, a prior accident, their diet, lack of movement, family history, a substance use disorder, a disease, and many other reasons. Just as with mental health and substance abuse there are many situations that can cause the problem.
Now let us look at the big picture with substance abuse. There are many reasons a person can have a substance use disorder such as, a chemical imbalance, mental health issues, self-medicating, family history, stress, brain injury, trauma, abuse issues, chronic pain, and other reasons. There are many reasons and causes of substance use disorders.
There can be a lack of understanding in things we cannot see visibly to our eyes. We sometimes will come up with our own beliefs which pulls us to stigmatize the situation. Hopefully with taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture with understanding we can eliminate blaming, judgement, and have compassion for those who need healing. With support and encouragement people can and do change. I believe people can change. Do you?

Be aware of your Mental Wellness

Mental wellness awareness…
Maybe it is the social media that causes some of our mental health issues today. Think about how social media impacts you when you are looking at posts and reading each post. How does it really make you feel? Did you ever think about how much time you spend on social media? What are you looking for from the post?
Feelings of depression, anxiety, anger, guilt, and low self-esteem can be tied to social media. Things we see and read can impact us with negative feelings. It is easy to get caught up and lose time when we are just checking in then an hour is lost from our day. I worked with a client who felt they did not have much time during their day to get things accomplished. I asked them to check their phone to see how much time they spent playing games and on social media. They were very surprised when they realized it was about 8 hours a day. Sometimes we compare our self with others and social media has a lot of unhealthy comparing out. We are taking what we see and read as it is from the other persons perspective. We can have our own perspective but the author has already stamped their perspective with what they share.
There can be some positive effects from social media, it comes from our own perspective of how we interrupt the post. Be mindful with your mind for mental wellness awareness.

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