You Have the Power to Stop Stigma
Mental health, and your attitude towards mental health, is in your hands. What you choose to do today, impacts how you feel tomorrow.
While stigma and fear around mental illness often prevents people from reaching out for help, you can help reduce stigma by educating yourself and others about mental health.
Learn about the ways to take care of your own mental health, and how to provide support for those who are showing signs that might indicate a mental health change. It is important to know that factors, such as discrimination, systemic racism, stress and fear, can harm the mental health and overall well-being of yourself and your peers.
Sometimes it feels impossible to live a good, happy life with a mental health condition – but with support from the community and loved ones, it’s possible to feel hopeful and lead a meaningful and positive life.
One voice – your voice – can make all the difference for someone living with a mental illness.
Common Mental Illnesses
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Anxiety Conditions
Characterized by excessive fear or anxiety that is difficult to control and negatively and substantially impacts daily functioning.
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Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Defined by a persistent pattern of inattention (for example, difficulty keeping focus) and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity (for example, difficulty controlling behavior, excessive and inappropriate motor activity).
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Bipolar Disorder
Characterized by atypical, dramatic swings in mood, and activity levels that go from periods of feeling intensely happy, irritable, and impulsive to periods of intense sadness and feelings of hopelessness.
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Borderline Personality Disorder
Characterized by difficulties regulating emotion. People living with BPD feel emotions intensely and for extended periods of time, and it is harder for them to return to a stable baseline after an emotionally triggering event.
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Depression
Depression can present different symptoms depending on the person, but is often characterized by physical and mental changes that significantly interfere with daily life. Common symptoms include: hopelessness or guilty thoughts, loss of energy, changes in sleep, changes in appetite, lack of interest in activities and physical aches and pains.
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Dissociative Conditions
Characterized by an involuntary escape from reality characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness and memory.
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Eating Disorders
Describes illnesses that are characterized by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Defined by the presence of persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are intrusive and unwanted (obsessions), or repetitive and ritualistic behaviors that a person feels are necessary in order to control obsessions (compulsions).
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Characterized as the development of debilitating symptoms following exposure to a traumatic or dangerous event. These can include re-experiencing symptoms from an event, such as flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance symptoms, changing a personal routine to escape having to be reminded of an event, or being easily startled/tense that makes daily tasks nearly impossible to complete.
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Psychosis
Characterized as disruptions to a person’s thoughts and perceptions that make it difficult for them to recognize what is real and what isn’t. These disruptions are often experienced as seeing, hearing and believing things that aren’t real or having strange, persistent thoughts, behaviors and emotions.
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Schizoaffective Disorder
Characterized by persistent symptoms of psychosis resembling schizophrenia with additional periodic symptoms of mood disorders, such as mania and depression.
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Schizophrenia
A brain disorder that impacts the way a person thinks (often described as a “thought disorder”), feels and acts. It is characterized by a range of mental, behavioral, and emotional experiences that can include: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking and grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behavior.
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Lend
your support to someone who might be experiencing a challenging time in their mental health journey. Even small actions, like following through with your plans to hang out or sending a quick text, can provide someone with much needed encouragement and hope. No one should have to experience this alone.
Apply to be a SpeakerMental Health Services
Call 211
For local mental health counseling, support and crisis response services. If you are in crisis or experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Stop the stigma and make a difference in your community
- Lend your support to someone who might be experiencing a challenging time in their mental health journey. Even small actions, like following through with your plans to hang out or sending a quick text, can provide someone with much needed encouragement and hope. No one should have to experience this alone.
- Start a conversation today and you can change what happens tomorrow. If you, or someone you know, is feeling anxious, depressed or stressed by school, work or life at home, reach out to someone you trust for support—a friend, teacher, parent or school counselor.
- Recognize the signs. Sometimes friends or family exhibit new or different behaviors that are hard to differentiate and understand. Certain behaviors may be associated with a mental illness or other concerns and it’s important to know what to look for. By knowing the signs, you’ll know when to offer help and act.
- Advocate. Use your voice, in person or online, and share your mental health journey to raise awareness about the effects of stigma. It’s not always easy to take a stand, but your courage can help remind and educate your peers that mental illness is common and looks like you and me. If you hear someone joking or making fun of mental illness, remind them that it’s not OK.
- Prioritize mental health by incorporating healthy habits and positivity into your everyday life. A positive change in your routine, or in someone else’s, can be the most important first step to feeling better tomorrow. It’s important to care for family and friends in their time of need, but self-care is just as essential to maintain your mental health.
- To learn more about what people with mental health conditions are going through, how support can be provided or to get involved, explore StopStigmaSacramento.org, or call 211 to be referred to culturally competent, recovery-focused mental health services.
Conversation Starter
Hey, it seems like you’ve got a lot on your mind lately. How are you?
I just wanted to say that I am here if you want to talk about anything – Can we get together this week?
I noticed you have missed a few days of school, and I just wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing.
I haven’t seen you in a while! How have you been?
I know life can feel like a lot sometimes, but if you need someone to talk to, I want you to know I am here.
You’ve seemed a little down lately and I wanted to see how you are doing.
I just want you to know I am here for you if you ever need to talk. You’re my friend and I won’t judge you.
I know things have been hard lately; let me know if you want to talk about it. I’m here for you.