Shame and Stigma: Bringing Mental Illness into the Light

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never a weakness.” Brené Brown

Dear Readers, I have talked about shame and stigma in my previous posts, but let’s do a deep dive into the relationship of shame and mental illness. 🤿 🌊

Shame is a feeling ranging from a mild self-consciousness to deep self-loathing resulting from situations or personal actions we feel are embarrassing, socially taboo, or cause for judgment.  In our cultural lens, mental illness usually provokes feelings of discomfort, fear, sadness, judgment and shame. People with lived experience of mental health issues also face their own internalized stigma and feelings around their diagnosis and experiences. It is critical to unpack these feelings and lessen the shame we experience. Having lived experience of mental illness means experiencing challenges but it can also mean developing strengths, such as resilience, courage, or openness. It is important to connect to your personal value despite the stigma. My earlier blog post on self-compassion is a great start for learning to value yourself despite your diagnosis.

I still have shame about my mental illness. It is true that I’ve had more shame in the past, but I still face my own internalized stigma. Some of the ways that it shows up with me are not talking about my mental illness, talking about mental illness from a professional instead of personal perspective, talking about other people’s mental illness instead of my own, and not challenging other people’s stigma. I’m not judging myself for these behaviours because I understand why I have acted in these ways, but I am working on unlearning stigma. In doing so, we reduce the shame and allow people with lived experience of mental illness a sense of safety when seeking support.