HOUGHTON –The May 2021 plea of Keweenaw County Sheriff Curt Pennala for the Copper Country to start a conversation concerning mental health and the stigma that accompanies it, is gaining traction, particularly with the organization of the group Keweenaw Support 4 Healthy Minds.

Retired Medical Director at Copper County Mental Health, Michelle Morgan, Ph.D., said that among the organization’s visions and goals is discussing ways to reduce stigma associated with mental illness so that people are much more willing to seek help when they need it.

Since Pennala started the discussion early last year, the term “reducing stigma” has become a catch-phrase. It is perhaps important to determine what stigma is and what defines it, and why it is so damaging.

As defined by the California Strategic Plan on Reducing Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination publication, “Stigma refers to attitudes and beliefs that lead people to reject, avoid, or fear those they perceive as being different.”

A document published back in June 2011, by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), titled, “Combating Stigma: Within the Michigan Mental Health System: A Toolkit for Change,”demonstrates by the date of its release that stigma is not a new problem. The document states in Appendix A:

“Stigma is defined as a sign of disgrace or discredit, which sets a person apart from others. The stigma of mental illness, although more often related to context than to a person’s appearance, remains a powerful negative attribute in all social relations.”

The same document goes on to state that The Canadian sociologist Erving Goffman said the term stigma describes the situation of the individual who is disqualified from full social acceptance.

Stigma is associating negative qualities with having a mental illness. For example, a person with a mental illness may be wrongly viewed (or even view themselves) as being weak or “damaged,” leading to feelings of shame and/or embarrassment. Stigma associated with having a mental illness may prevent a person from seeking out help or support from others.

There are many forms of stigma but the two for which public discussion is of primary importance are public stigma and self-stigma. The MDCH takes the following from the California Strategic Plan on Reducing Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination:

“Public stigma” encompasses the attitudes and feelings expressed by many in the general public toward persons living with mental health challenges or their family members.

“Self-stigma” occurs when individuals internalize the disrespectful images that society, a community, or a peer group perpetuate, which may lead many individuals to refrain from seeking treatment for their mental health conditions.

University of Michigan’s Eisenberg Family Depression Center offers this for those who wish to advocate for the decrease of stigma:

“Standing up to mental health stigma is an important way to support your own mental health and give a voice to those who are suffering in silence.”

Locally, that is among the current goals of Keweenaw Support 4 Healthy Minds. Morgan said that among its goals is to speak more openly and more frequently about mental health and reducing stigma. Another established goal, which is in its embryonic stage, is to build a support network for those wanting to seek and receive help.

“Helping people become more resilient,” said Morgan. “We’re all under stress, particularly the past couple years, and it’s affecting everyone’s mental health. There are things we can do to support each other, skills we can learn that can help us cope with those stressors, and hopefully reduce the likelihood of a crisis.”

Along with that, Morgan said, is “Supporting people who are at risk. So, developing connections with them, services and we haven’t focused too much on that yet, but our ultimate goal will be to have a network of people who can directly support people who need that extra support.”

For more information on the the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), titled Combating Stigma: Within the Michigan Mental Health System: A Toolkit for Change,” please visit the website at: Michigan.gov.

For more information on the Keweenaw Support 4 Healthy Minds social media page, please visit Facebook.com.