Today is World Mental Health and this year the theme is dignity in mental health. Every one has the right to dignity, whatever your gender, age, religion, ethnicity, and sexual ordination. Dignity is something lacking in today's society, even more so when surrounding mental health issues. Every human has the human right to dignity.
Having a mental health problem is like any illness, the person didn't ask for it, they just have it. Any body else with an illness not related to mental illness is given the dignity and respect they deserve, no they have the right to this dignity. A person with a mental illness is the same. They are a human being who deserves the same respect and dignity. To see what you can do to raise awareness of the stigma head over to the link below where the WHO has a great pamphlet on what you can do in your community and what they are doing to help change this issue.
Information Dignity in Mental Health found here (World Health organization)
This year YA is trying to break the stigma of mental health with many books dealing with mental health issues, you can check out a post I did a few months back on the topic here
Remember Mental Health illnesses are real, they can't be brushed under the carpet. Do something to fix the stigma!
I didn't know today was World Mental Health Day but well done for highlighting it. I think books are a great way of opening the discussion and giving us some empathy for what living with different illnesses can be like.
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