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A small group of supporters happily holding green balloons gathered along the sidewalk at Millennium Park on May 4 to kick off Mental Health Awareness Month. The event and month were commemorated by encouraging words and a mayoral proclamation as the fight to destigmatize mental health continues.
Brandy Christiansen, CEO of Mental Health America’s (MHA) Wabash Valley region, led the event, encouraging the community to take an active role in its mental health by supporting friends, family, and neighbors, rather than continuing the practice discriminating against those suffering.
Christiansen explained that the practice of recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month began in 1949; first as a day, then a week, before encompassing the entire month.
“(The month) really is just to serve our communities, to remind us why we do the work that we do, and to do our level best to just smack stigma right in the face, knock it down,” said Christiansen. “Stigma is nothing more than institutionalized discrimination. It still impacts us. Some of the most stigmatizing language I’ve ever read was on a hospital chart.
“We’re just doing our best to remind people that it’s okay to not be okay, and it’s very important that we normalize talking about mental health, because if we don’t, it’s going to bubble up and lead to other crises.”
Christiansen explained that MHA’s mantra is “Before Stage Four,” meaning mental illness needs to be treated early, before a crisis results.
“We wouldn’t wait for any other illness to begin treating until stage four, so why do it with mental health?” Christiansen asked.
She then recounted the story of MHA founder Clifford Beers. A Yale graduate with plenty of familial resources, Beers attempted suicide after his brother died as a result of a manic-depressive episode.
That put Beers in an institution, where he spent three years; one of them in solitary confinement.
“That’s how we treated mental health back in the day, before we knew any better,” said Christiansen. “We locked them away. We chained them up. We did all kinds of lobotomies, social experiments, and those people didn’t have a voice.”
Fortunately for Beers, his education served him. He wrote eloquent letters to legislators and people with privilege until someone finally acted and had him released. But he emerged as an activist.
In 1908, Beers wrote a book, entitled, “A Mind That Found Itself,” exposing the abuse that was visited upon people who had been institutionalized. A year later, he launched the mental hygiene movement, which resulted in Mental Health Associations being established across the nation.
Following the example that Beers left behind, MHA continued to fight for humane treatment and the destigmatizing of mental health. In a symbolic cat, the association commissioned the casting of the Mental Health Bell, which was created by melting down the chains and shackles once used to restrain the mentally ill rather than treat them.
“It’s huge,” said Christiansen. “It’s the biggest mama-jammer bell I’ve ever seen in my life. They roll it out every year at our national convention, and it’s really a sight to behold.
“It is our symbol of hope, and it’s inscribed ‘Cast from shackles, which chained them, this bell will bring out hope for victory over mental illness.’”
Despite more than a century of progress, mental illness continues to face stigma. Only recently has the push to address it with compassion and normalize mental health really picked up steam, with expanding services and greater education. But the fight is far from over, Christiansen said.
“There are many types of chains,” she said. “A lot of them are metaphorical, and a lot of them still hold true. We know that our jails and prisons are full of people who have mental health diagnoses but haven’t been given the opportunity to heal or the resources to succeed.”
Christiansen explained that MHA actively works to inform the community about mental health, and it constantly seeks partners to help. The event at Millennium Park is just one example, as several mental health advocates and providers were in attendance, along with the Community Foundation Serving Howard County and of course, Mayor Tyler Moore, who issued a proclamation to name May Mental Health Awareness Month in Kokomo.
“So many issues in our community that we deal with as elected or non-elected community leaders stem from mental health issues, challenges, and struggles that so many have,” said Moore. “Without the continued support of you and thousands of others throughout our region, it’s not possible.”