To tackle scourge of mental illness, end silence

A University of Pennsylvania junior just threw herself in front of a moving train. The star student, frequent volunteer, and aspiring business leader had shown few signs of social estrangement or emotional distress – in fact, friends and faculty memorialized her as “well-liked” and “always willing to offer a smile or hand of friendship.”

Such tragedy strikes families and communities every day, across every locale and demographic group. Almost 43,000 Americans took their own lives in 2014 – the highest toll in 30 years. And over 38,000 died of unintentional drug overdoses – grim proof that depression and emotional disorders pervade American society.

Fearing social stigmatization and discrimination, patients and families often hide mental illness and addiction. But that only makes the problems worse. It’s time for Americans to tackle the scourge of mental illness by speaking openly about these conditions, strengthening support networks, and empowering families to provide better care.

Even though one in five people will personally battle a mental health condition at some point in her life, and millions more will suffer as friends and family struggle with such conditions, Americans loathe talking about mental health. Four in ten people say they wouldn’t readily confess symptoms of depression to their own doctors.

Fortunately, that’s starting to change – high-profile figures are shattering the silence surrounding mental illness. Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, for instance, has written openly of his own battle with bipolar disorder and substance abuse. He emphasizes that his famous family’s tendency to circle the wagons and hide his mental health issues only inflamed and deepened them.

Regular citizens are sharing their stories too. At a March town hall event featuring the Democratic presidential candidates, Crystal Oertle admitted the depth of her heroin addiction on national TV. Currently clean and in recovery, she recounted how getting her fix was once her No. 1 daily goal, even with toddlers in tow.

She challenged leaders to start treating addiction – which medical experts agree is a “chronic brain disorder” – as a disease, not a crime.

Even cable television has helped destigmatize mental illness and condemn discrimination against the mentally ill. In the recent season finale of “Shameless” – a show in which addiction and mental illness run rampant – one character pleads to be rehired after he was dismissed for his bipolar disorder. He argues that, just as his boss wouldn’t fire a physically handicapped person, she shouldn’t discriminate against him for his mental illness.

Talking openly about mental health breaks down the stigma surrounding such illnesses. But talk is worthless if it doesn’t lead to more support for those in need.

The most effective support tools are easily and instantly accessible. I’ve seen this firsthand from my service on the board of the Jed Foundation, a suicide prevention nonprofit that developed an anonymous online screening tool. The service has helped more than a quarter-million college students assess their mental health and steered them to a variety of campus-based behavioral health services.

Early interventions keep people socially engaged. And social engagement prevents them from spiraling deeper into mental illness. One 20-year tracking study found if a person has a happy friend who lives within a mile of her, she’s 25 percent more likely to be happy herself. Another study found that having few social interactions decreases lifespan about as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

Of course, good health starts at home. The strongest support network is a loving family.

Helping families understand and cope with members’ conditions can turn the tide in the battle against mental illness. One study showed that training families to reduce hostile or critical outbursts directed at schizophrenic members cut relapse rates from 50 percent to 9 percent. Already, many rehab centers offer extensive education and support tools to families, since parents and siblings play such an influential role in helping addicts stay clean.

Ramping up such training and support services for the families of Americans struggling with addiction, depression, and other mental illnesses would empower them to become more empathetic and effective caregivers.

When Americans are diagnosed with cancer or diabetes, they receive near universal sympathy and support. But if they develop a disease that affects their brain chemistry, such as depression or addiction, society too often shuns them – or worse, discriminates and blames them.

It’s time to change that – by openly acknowledging the realities of mental illness and providing more support for the mentally ill and their families. Nobody should have to feel that a speeding train is the only way out of chronic depression or mental illness.

This story was originally published July 2, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "To tackle scourge of mental illness, end silence."