3 ways to respond when someone tries to shame your mental health diagnosis or treatment

Sometimes you may encounter peers who blame you for your mental illness or make insensitive remarks regarding your mental illness, leaving you feeling discouraged.

How you can navigate and respond to situations where you are being shamed for your mental illness or mental health treatment by your peers?

Have you ever had a peer tell you?

"You're crazy!"

"Therapy is for the weak."

"You just want attention."

"It's all in your head".

"Get over it."

"Grow up!"

These types of discouraging comments can feel like a blow to your day.

Here are ways that you can respond:

• Use positive self-affirmations

• Educate!

• Limit your interactions

Remind yourself that the negative comments don't have anything to do with you, but everything to do with them.

Don't let negative words control you by allowing yourself to be controlled by who people think you are.

Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash

Redirect your focus and do something positive for yourself.

Keep your self-talk positive.

Be your greatest supporter.

Educate your peers so they can better understand your mental illness. When you hear people discuss mental illness negatively, politely ask them to consider the impact of their words.

Tell them to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

Inform them that their words can prevent someone struggling with mental illness from seeking the help they need.

Recommend they read mental health resources from sites like https://www.nami.org/Home and https://www.mhanational.org/

Unfortunately, no matter what you do, some people will continue to be meanspirited and thoughtless.

To navigate through this, cut them out of your life or limit your contact with them.

Vent your frustrations to your therapist so they can help you figure out the best course of action.