Week 11: Stop the Stigma

In recent years, mental health organization such as NAMI and NIMH have been working diligently to disseminate accurate mental health information in an effort to de-stigmatize mental illnesses. One such organization is 1 in 5 minds, an organization based in San Antonio, Texas. This not-for-profit organization is seeking to increase awareness of mental health care for and mental illness in children by informing the public about these concerns and taking donation to help children and their families. Their about page lists many important individuals such as congressman and other political officials as well as psychiatrists, professors, and counselors. At the bottom of each page "Fast Facts" about mental illness in children are displayed, tucked between a brief "About Us" section and the organization's contact information. Here, they address stigma head on in their post entitled "Stop the Stigma."

Overall this organization seeks to educate parents and familial support systems about childhood mental health to decrease the stigma that has long gone hand-in-hand with mental illness at any age and to increase community resources for these families. Taking the "Stop the Stigma" blog post, we that the organization first tries to connect to the readers be addressing ways we often use derogatory mental illness terms such as "insane", "psycho", or "nuts." While some advocates may demonize the use of this language, in this post the organization acknowledges it in a more delicate way by saying that they understand we don't mean to offend and reminding the reader that these words can be harmful. 

The post goes on to provide statistics such as how many children in Bexar County, Texas, the local community for this organization, are struggling with mental illness, when lifetime cases may onset, how 14 percent of their Hispanic high school students report having a suicide plan, and that only a fraction of the children who need it actually receive treatment. Even the name of the organization is a statistic - 1 in 5 Minds. 1 in 5 children face mental illness. Of those children, 1 in 5 facing mental illness actually receive treatment. These are powerful statistics.

Finally, 1 in 5 Minds ask the reader to take action by directing us to the homepage to seek information, taking their pledge, similar to NAMI's pledge to be stigma-free. They invite the reader to share their story or the blog post. In the final line the blog reads, "Let's all work together to stop the stigma."

This particular post is effective because it appeals to the local community by citing information specific to their demographics and region, it appeals to the readers sympathy by addressing the shame a child may feel in the face of stigma, and it invites us to learn more.