The Stigma Around Mental Health is Alive and Well

But that doesn’t mean you should silence your voice

Recently my partner and I were randomly talking about how I choose to primarily focus on writing about overcoming trauma and abusive relationships.

He mentioned that he wouldn’t know how to explain to just anyone what I write about because some of them are unaware of my past experiences and are quite ignorant when it comes to emotional abuse/trauma.

For a moment I was stunned and asked if he was ashamed of my writing.

“Of course I’m not ashamed,” he answered. “I just don’t think that everyone has the willingness to educate themselves about mental health/abuse or lack the emotional maturity to understand and empathize with something they haven’t experienced.”

“Or they have experienced it and refuse to acknowledge it.”

I leaned back and reflected on how mental health was viewed when I was growing up.

My family never discussed mental health even though several of them struggle with bipolar disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.

The closest thing that we ever got to it was when I mentioned my anxiety and depression several years ago and my Dad told me he had always known I struggled with both…