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World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10 every year. The main goal is to both raise awareness of mental health issues and promote resources that can strengthen our mental well-being.
Kevin Antschel
Syracuse University psychology professor Kevin Antschel He is a clinical psychologist and director of the clinical psychology program at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences. It offers a wide range Opinion On topics around stress during the pandemic.
Professor Antschel discussed with our team why mental health continues to dominate headlines and national conversations, and the challenge of addressing this issue in depth.
Q: Since the start of the pandemic, there seems to be a growing recognition of the importance of mental health. In what ways do you think Covid-19 has forced us as a collective society to focus more on this issue?
A: In my opinion, one of the few positive outcomes of the covid-19 pandemic is the reduction of mental health stigma. While Still Existing, mental health stigma – stereotypes, discrimination against people with mental health problems – has weakened over the past 31 months. This can be for at least two reasons. First, COVID-19 has increased our contact with people with mental health issues. Decades of stigma research have shown that conflict with marginalized groups creates fear and discomfort. Due to the increase in serious mental health conditions, we have come into contact with other people with mental health problems. Second, Covid-19 has heightened our own personal experience of mental health symptoms and conditions. Therefore, many of us now have improved knowledge about mental health and know more about the impact of mental health.
Mental health literacy and increased contact with other people with mental health problems have synergistically reduced mental health stigma. With low mental health stigma, mental health is discussed more openly. The universal experience of managing the uncertainty associated with a global pandemic has left many of us with similar feelings. This shared experience, combined with reduced mental health stigma, has allowed us to collectively focus on mental health at the community level.
Question: How has social media played a role?
A: Social media has quickly become a central health communication tool. It’s no surprise that many of us are online for significant parts of the day. The user-generated nature of social media allows sharing of mental health experiences and information. For example, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer opportunities to find peer support and mental health information online. (There are over 20 billion #mentalhealthviews on TikTok.) Similarly, there are under-recognized mental health challenges associated with social media use (eg cyberbullying can lead to depression, mental health misinformation, etc.). In this way, social media is a paradoxical mental health promotion tool that has both positive and negative sides.
Q: Celebrity endorsement and recognition has also added to the growing conversation around mental health. Rapper Meghan Thee Stallion recently launched a featured mental health website. Links to free therapy organizations and other mental health resources such as helplines. Do news headlines and conversations indicate a real change in people’s mental health? Or does this feel like a catchy phrase without much substance?
A: Over the past 31 months, I have been invited to speak at various local schools about children’s mental health. There is definitely more awareness and discussion around mental health. In my opinion, awareness and conversations are a good start, but by themselves, they are not enough to change how our society views people with mental health problems and mental health disorders. At the individual level – especially among younger generations like Gen Z and Millennials – mental health is now considered as much as physical health. Celebrities like Rapper Meghan Thee Stallion and wider celebrity culture are particularly influential to younger generations. In this way, many celebrities help facilitate mental health promotion and encourage mental health to be considered as much as physical health. Efforts to continue the focus on mental health should not fall entirely at the feet of today’s younger generation. Health care professionals – not just mental health professionals, but those working in primary care settings – can be strong and vocal advocates on social media to educate the public about mental health conditions and challenge mental health stigma.
To sustain this seismic attitudinal shift, individuals must initiate policy initiatives to provide improved access and access to evidence-based and culturally competent mental health care. In order to advance this issue in a truly meaningful way, mental health stigma reduction must not focus solely on public education and attitude change. Instead, legislative and policy changes may be required to further enhance people’s approach to their own mental health.
To request an interview or for more information:
Darryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu
Syracuse University
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