As a social worker most of my experience is in the mental health setting. From working as a social worker in a crisis stabilization unit, outpatient therapy agency, and now as a crisis line counselor. Each role has given me different perspectives on mental health. I have seen the whole process from crisis, to acute crisis stabilization and then maintenance with individual therapy.
This job definitely is not for just anyone. I have found it is my calling. There are many roles a social worker can take as the field of social work is so broad. What is my thing? Trauma. I graduated from a trauma informed program and I have many goals to continue my education and work towards certifications specializing in trauma in order to provide effective evidence-based treatments to clients. I have always loved learning; school was my sanctuary believe it or not. I was that weird kid, but I guess it was my escape from many things and I have always have had this determination to “be someone”.
Although still working on my “growth”, I did, “become someone”. Sometimes the imposter syndrome gets the best of me. But I am learning to not second guess what I know as I am very good at what I do and surprisingly I am very knowledgeable. (you saw what I did there?) No really, I truly am proud of my accomplishments and excited for where I am headed.
So where was I, yes, mental health! If I had one superpower, I would wave my super social worker wand, which many people think we social workers have and NORMALIZE mental health. It is such a lonely road. From individuals who are in denial, to family members who do not “understand”, or mental health is just not culturally accepted, it truly does affect us all. It doesn’t discriminate against sex, age, race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.
Mental health is more than what you see on the outside. Behaviors are what most people “judge” but no matter what the diagnosis is, many individuals have stated to me “no one understands”, “I don’t like being this way”, “I want to be normal”, “no one likes me”, “no one wants me around”. This is truly heart breaking.
I have also heard the frustrations of family members on non-compliant individuals who are constantly falling into crisis, which yes, it can be very difficult to deal with and if the individual does not want treatment, then they have the right to refuse.
It is a long lonely and frustrating road, for all. The individual and family. But there is also the stigma on mental health that deters individuals from seeking treatment. Depending on the diagnosis there can be those who do not have insight to their illness or those who have had a bad experience with either medication, psychiatry, or therapy services.
Labels also suck! And there are so many who are insensitive to those who suffer from mental illness and I am not only talking about laypeople. There are some professionals out there that have lost compassion and although burn out is pretty heavy in the field of mental health, it is important to practice self-care and remember the reason this was the field of choice.
My main point is that many people aren’t given the time of day if they have a mental health diagnosis. So what can be done to “fix” this? Education. I feel that if more people educated themselves on this subject, there would be more compassion and empathy rather than stereotypes and nasty behaviors. Just like many look up medical issues, why can’t mental health be approached the same way?
One pet peeve is the labeling and the one label I truly cannot deal is “crazy”. Please tell me what is normal? Yes, stable is what we aim for.. but I don’t know “crazy” just is irritating and insensitive. C’mon, it is 2022 and I feel like we are going backwards! To end I say this, educate yourself when needed or reach out to a mental health professional for more insight on symptoms that you may be experiencing or on how to support a family or friend.
Mental health is misunderstood but it is never too late to end the stigma and it all starts with you. Start by shifting your perspective or shifting someone else’s.
