Let’s Talk About the Stigma Around Mental Illness

As parents, it is our instinct to only want the best for our children. We see our teens and look forward to their bright future ahead. However, there are bumps in the road that makes achieving that promising future harder. We might observe that our teens are losing focus or motivation to perform in school, participate in sports, or even do their hobbies — a common symptom of depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders. But when we notice this, our first reaction might be to get angry and demand an explanation. Sometimes, considering their mental health condition might even just be an afterthought or the idea having them receive mental health disorder therapy might even elude us. This kind of reaction on our part as parents is a reflection of the stigma surrounding mental illnesses.

As a society, we often overlook the importance of taking care of our loved ones’ mental health. The stigma surrounding mental health also adds to the difficulty of seeking help. For our children’s sake, we, as parents, should be at the forefront of attacking the stigma around mental health disorders. We should be the first people to make them feel safe whenever they experience symptoms. We should be the ones who create an environment where talks about mental health disorders are not scary and topics like intensive depression therapy are acceptable.

As your partner in promoting our teens’ mental health, Teen Depression Center offers depression therapies like LGBTQ depression therapy, residential depression treatment, and intensive outpatient program, among others.