Today is World Mental Health Day. On this day, worldwide attention is paid to mental health. Unfortunately, there is still a taboo on talking about mental health problems.
Normalizing psychological problems
Over 191,000 people in the Netherlands experience a mental disorder for the first time each year, and about 4 in 10 people meet the criteria for one or more psychiatric diagnoses at some point in their lives. Worldwide, some 1 trillion people live with a mental disorder and 3 million die as a result of alcohol addiction.
Despite the large number of people affected, talking about mental illness is still a major taboo worldwide.
Understanding the person behind the diagnosis
There are several reasons why there is still a taboo on the subject worldwide. For example, some mental illnesses are less well known, which means that people with these complaints mostly face misunderstanding. There are also many misconceptions surrounding certain problematics, such as addictions and personality disorders.
The level of familiarity with the mental health complaint often increases understanding and empathy. Personal stories also help to normalize mental problems, because often the person behind the diagnosis is forgotten. Therefore, good education about psychological problems and being able to talk about them is very important to break the taboo. As experts on multiple problems (also known as comorbidity ), we understand our clients' situations and their causes.
The theme of the National Mental Health Day 2021 is #Openup. Talk about it, and also show others that you are open to someone else's story. Want tips? Then read our therapist Brian Gerrits ' blog.