Overcoming the Stigma of Seeking Mental Health Support | Breanna Haines | TEDxHowellHighSchool

TL;DR

Going to therapy is crucial for improving mental health, overcoming survivor's guilt, and addressing the stigma surrounding seeking professional help.

Transcript

[Applause] [Applause] four years ago in 2019 my freshman year I lost my best friend to suicide after it happened I went numb for a while I started to not express my emotions and I started to cut myself off from close friends who were just trying to help me my energy was so down physically I felt pretty momentally the desire to want to isolate mysel... Read More

Key Insights

• 😚 Losing a close friend to suicide can have a severe impact on a person's mental health, leading to emotional numbness, guilt, and self-isolation.
• 🤪 Initially, there may be hesitation and skepticism towards going to therapy, with doubts about its effectiveness and the fear of being judged.
• 🖤 Survivor's guilt is a common response to a loss, causing symptoms such as obsessive analysis, helplessness, lack of motivation, and depression.
• 💉 The shame, stigma, and fear associated with seeking therapy need to be overcome to ensure that those in need receive proper mental health support.
• 🧑‍⚕️ More than two-thirds of people who die by suicide do not receive professional mental health help, highlighting the importance of reducing the stigma surrounding therapy.
• 😌 Psychotherapy has been found to significantly relieve symptoms and improve daily functioning for about 75% of individuals who undergo therapy.
• 🥰 Therapy can help individuals process their pain, heal from trauma, and find ways to move forward with their lives, even while still remembering their lost loved ones.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the speaker's loss of their best friend affect their mental health?

The speaker went through a period of numbness, emotional detachment, and self-isolation, feeling immense guilt and survivor's guilt. Their energy and motivation declined, and they struggled to cope with the loss.

Q: Why did the speaker hesitate to go to therapy initially?

The speaker felt skeptical that therapy could alleviate their sadness and believed that the therapist wouldn't understand their specific emotions and experiences. They also wanted to maintain the facade of being okay for their mother.

Q: What is survivor's guilt, and what are its symptoms?

Survivor's guilt is a response to someone else's loss when you, as a survivor, feel guilty for not being able to prevent the tragedy. Symptoms include obsessively analyzing the event, feelings of helplessness, lack of motivation, and depression.

Q: What are the statistics on mental health and therapy?

Over two-thirds of people who die by suicide do not receive professional mental health help. In 2019, there were 750,000 suicides worldwide, with about 500,000 individuals not accessing mental health services. In the United States, 23% of adults have a mental illness.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker shares their personal experience of losing a friend to suicide and the emotional toll it had on their mental health.

• They initially hesitated to go to therapy but eventually realized its importance in helping them cope with their grief and move forward with their life.

• The speaker emphasizes the shame and stigma surrounding therapy and urges those struggling with mental health to seek help.