Denver is looking for to eradicate the social stigma about mental well being circumstances with a new public well being campaign.
The “What You Say Matters” campaign, which The Denver Division of Public Wellness and Atmosphere launched on Thursday, aims to encourage Denverites to obtain assistance for mental well being challenges, and not to judge these who do.
“Many in our neighborhood are struggling with their mental well being, particularly more than the previous handful of years,” mentioned Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. “We want to do anything we can to make confident our buddies and loved ones get the assistance they want – that begins with minimizing stigma. This campaign elevates the voices and stories of persons who’ve been impacted by stigma about mental well being and shines a direct light on the lived experiences for persons with mental well being circumstances.”
The campaign consists of print and digital ads across the city, featuring every day words and phrases that stigmatize mental well being circumstances – for instance, saying someone’s mental well being challenges are “all in your head,” applying mental well being circumstances as insults or adjectives, and dismissing someone’s struggles – and what a single could say rather.
The campaign was modeled right after the genuine-life experiences of far more than 1,000 Denverites, uncovered in the course of a year-extended analysis project measuring the understanding, attitudes and beliefs residents have relating to behavioral well being circumstances.
Bob McDonald, executive director of the Denver Division of Public Wellness and Atmosphere, mentioned every day occurrences of stigma can come from everyone and normally are not meant to be hurtful, but they can be a big barrier to care for persons with mental well being circumstances.
“Talking about mental well being is becoming far more prevalent, but we do not often speak about how stigma can come up in conversations,” McDonald mentioned. “It’s crucial to recognize adverse stereotypes and sayings can make it tougher for persons with mental well being circumstances to speak about their personal experiences, even from loved ones who want to assistance.”
“We hope by means of this campaign, Denver residents will recognize and fight stigma in their personal lives by very carefully contemplating the words they pick when speaking about mental well being,” he added.
The campaign also functions a collection of neighborhood sources to understand far more about mental well being stigma and how to address it.
Additional information and facts about the “What You Say Matters” campaign is readily available at www.DenverGov.org/WhatYouSayMatters.
