I started this column with different intentions. I wanted to revisit some topics and tools to promote mental health and well-being. However, as I was reading about mental health in general, I got stuck on this thought: how do you have a conversation about mental health when there is still such stigma attached to the topic?
I’m old enough to have witnessed a shift in attitude about mental health and well-being in the general population. Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s, we rarely talked about mental wellness, mental stress, mental illness, well-being, or self-care.
We didn’t have a great vocabulary to discuss these topics nor was emphasis placed on identifying, understanding, or acknowledging our emotions, which these days is taught to schoolchildren from very early ages. This was way before the term “emotional intelligence” was coined in 1990 by Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer. And seeking help for mental health distress or mental illness was highly stigmatized.
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Now, most people understand and acknowledge the importance of taking care of your mental health and well-being, and talking about these topics with others like relatives, friends, health-care practitioners, etc., is more accepted. Prejudice or discrimination against people with mental illness is not as blatant as it once was. However, while some progress has been made, mental health stigma still looms large in our society.
A study led by Andria Jones-Bitton analyzed more than 1,100 responses from Canadian farmers to a stress and resilience survey carried out from September 2015 to January 2016. In addition to revealing stress, anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion and burnout at higher rates among producers than other groups, the study also found stigma is associated with mental health treatment. The survey showed 40 per cent of the farmers who participated said they’d feel uneasy getting professional help because of what people might think. And, 31 per cent of the farmers surveyed said seeking professional help could stigmatize a person’s life.
Mental health issues are common in Canada
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, mental health problems and illnesses are common in Canada: one in five people experience a mental health problem or illness each year and by the age of 40, 50 per cent of Canadians will have had a mental health concern, which is nearly twice as many as those with heart disease or type 2 diabetes.
However, in Canada, 40 per cent of parents say they wouldn’t tell anyone, including a family doctor, if their child was experiencing a mental health problem. And 60 per cent of people with a mental health problem or illness won’t seek help for fear of being labelled.
According to an American Psychiatric Association (APA) article called “Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness,” stigma often develops from a lack of understanding or fear. Inaccurate or misleading media representations of mental illness contribute to both of those factors. Also, study reviews have shown while the public may accept the medical or genetic nature of a mental health disorder and the need for treatment, many people still have a negative view of those with mental illness.
Often, people avoid or delay seeking treatment due to concerns about being treated differently or fears of losing their jobs and livelihood. “That’s because stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness is still very much a problem,” states the article.
There are three different types of stigma researchers recognize:
- Public stigma involves negative or discriminatory attitudes that others have about mental illness.
- Self-stigma refers to the negative attitudes, including internalized shame, that people with mental illness have about their own condition.
- Institutional stigma is more systemic involving policies of government and private organizations that intentionally or unintentionally limit opportunities for people with mental illness; for instance, lower funding for mental illness research or fewer mental health services relative to other healthcare.
Farmers are at greater risk for mental health issues
Several studies in Canada from 2016-2021, including one on the mental health challenges Canadian producers face by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in 2019, have shown farmers live and work in an environment with many uncertainties that put them under significant pressure. These studies have concluded that farmers are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues. Mental health stigma compounds the problem as people are more reluctant to seek help or access tools to help them navigate mental health challenges.
Lesley Kelly, a farmer and the Do More Agriculture Foundation’s co-founder, stated, “While there has been much effort and progress made over the last five years within agriculture, stigma against people with mental illness within agriculture is deeply rooted and still very much an issue,” in an article on the foundation’s website.
What can we do about this? It’s time to stop stigmatizing mental illness.
Suggested in the APA article were some good tips offered by the U.S. organization National Alliance on Mental Illness, which I will share with you:
- Talk openly about mental health, such as sharing on social media.
- Educate yourself and others and respond to misperceptions or negative comments by sharing facts and experiences.
- Be conscious of language and remind people that words matter.
- Encourage equality between physical and mental illness by drawing comparisons to how they would treat someone with cancer or diabetes.
- Show compassion for those with mental illness.
- Be honest about and normalize mental health treatment, just like other health care treatment.
- Let the media know when they are using stigmatizing language and presenting stories of mental illness in a stigmatizing way.
- Choose empowerment over shame.
Sometimes it’s hard to know how to respond to someone who has approached you who is having mental health challenges. I found these tips on how to stop stigma through conversation from makeitok.org very helpful:
Do say: “Thanks for opening up to me.” Don’t say: “It could be worse.”
Do say: “Is there anything I can do to help?” Don’t say: “Just deal with it.”
Do say: “I’m sorry to hear that. It must be tough.” Don’t say: “Snap out of it.”
Do say: “I’m here for you when you need me.” Don’t say: “Everyone feels that way sometimes.”
Do say: “I can’t imagine what you’re going through.” Don’t say: “You may have brought this on yourself.”
Do say: “People do get better.” Don’t say: “We’ve all been there.”
Do say: “Oh man, that sucks.” Don’t say: “You’ve got to pull yourself together.”
Do say: “Can I drive you to an appointment?” Don’t say: “Maybe try thinking happier thoughts.”
Do say: “How are you feeling today?”
Do say: “I love you.”
Working to stop the spread of mental health stigma will mean more people will reach out for help when they need it. It will strengthen communities and have a ripple effect throughout society, even affecting the profitability of your farm.
For those of you who are suffering in silence with mental health issues, reach out to someone, anyone, who can support you: family members, counsellors, therapists, life coaches, psychologists, psychiatrists, mentors, doctors, etc. These are people you can lean on during those challenging times when mental wellness shifts to mental stress or even mental illness. What you learn from these experiences can be passed on to future generations, so they can better manage the environment in which they work and live.
We’re all in this together, so let’s be supportive, open and honest about mental health.
Wishing you well,
Kari
