How to Talk to Kids About Mental Health Stigma
Answer their questions., Relay your own experiences and feelings., Use age-appropriate language and situations., Discuss how common mental illness is.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Answer their questions.
Holding back information from your children about mental illness can make the situation more dire.
They may create their own ideas about what is happening or about mental illness.
Often, their assumptions are worse than what’s actually going on.
Try to answer as honest as you feel comfortable with.
They may want to know why there is stigma and sugar coating your answer may cause them to fill in the blanks themselves.
Instead, you can tell them that people often just don’t understand what mental illness is and react out of fear or confusion.Let's say your child asks, "Why did the woman in the store seem frightened of Aunt Carla?" You might say, "Carla has a mental sickness that causes her to act out sometimes.
Others don't always understand that she is sick." Also, be sure to reassure them that their aunt—like most people with a mental illness—is not actually dangerous if they are concerned about this.
Explain to your child that there are many different types of mental illness and they can range from mild to severe, and some are only temporary.
Let your child know that some forms of mental illness can even be cured or controlled with things like therapy and medication. -
Step 2: Relay your own experiences and feelings.
Let your children know how you feel about mental illness.
You can also discuss any backlash you’ve received because of stigma, if you’ve gone through it yourself.
Your children will likely better understand the stigma if you talk about your feelings towards it and any that you’ve suffered.
For example, you could say, “People with mental illness are just like you and I.
However, their brains operate a bit differently and cause them to feel certain ways.
You don’t need to be scared or think badly about them.” Hearing it from you may make them feel more confident in the situation. , Take your child’s age into consideration when talking about mental health and the stigma associated with it.
Younger children will likely not understand what you’re saying if you use language that is too complex.
They may also become scared.
Instead, talk to them in ways they can comprehend.
For example, you can likely be completely honest and open about what is going on with a teenager.
A younger person, however, would do better if you just say the person isn’t feeling well or has a difficult time with things because their brains work differently than theirs., Mental illness is extremely common nowadays.
Lots of the stigma that is associated with it comes from a time when people didn’t understand mental health.
However, letting your children know that mental illness is so common that someone they know likely suffers from it, can help to normalize it and help them feel more comfortable with it.
You might say, "Although it may not seem like it, depression is very common.
It's actually one of the leading reasons people over 15 are on disability."Because it is so common, your child should feel comfortable discussing mental illness with you.
Let them know you want to talk to them about it, if they feel they have an issue. -
Step 3: Use age-appropriate language and situations.
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Step 4: Discuss how common mental illness is.
Detailed Guide
Holding back information from your children about mental illness can make the situation more dire.
They may create their own ideas about what is happening or about mental illness.
Often, their assumptions are worse than what’s actually going on.
Try to answer as honest as you feel comfortable with.
They may want to know why there is stigma and sugar coating your answer may cause them to fill in the blanks themselves.
Instead, you can tell them that people often just don’t understand what mental illness is and react out of fear or confusion.Let's say your child asks, "Why did the woman in the store seem frightened of Aunt Carla?" You might say, "Carla has a mental sickness that causes her to act out sometimes.
Others don't always understand that she is sick." Also, be sure to reassure them that their aunt—like most people with a mental illness—is not actually dangerous if they are concerned about this.
Explain to your child that there are many different types of mental illness and they can range from mild to severe, and some are only temporary.
Let your child know that some forms of mental illness can even be cured or controlled with things like therapy and medication.
Let your children know how you feel about mental illness.
You can also discuss any backlash you’ve received because of stigma, if you’ve gone through it yourself.
Your children will likely better understand the stigma if you talk about your feelings towards it and any that you’ve suffered.
For example, you could say, “People with mental illness are just like you and I.
However, their brains operate a bit differently and cause them to feel certain ways.
You don’t need to be scared or think badly about them.” Hearing it from you may make them feel more confident in the situation. , Take your child’s age into consideration when talking about mental health and the stigma associated with it.
Younger children will likely not understand what you’re saying if you use language that is too complex.
They may also become scared.
Instead, talk to them in ways they can comprehend.
For example, you can likely be completely honest and open about what is going on with a teenager.
A younger person, however, would do better if you just say the person isn’t feeling well or has a difficult time with things because their brains work differently than theirs., Mental illness is extremely common nowadays.
Lots of the stigma that is associated with it comes from a time when people didn’t understand mental health.
However, letting your children know that mental illness is so common that someone they know likely suffers from it, can help to normalize it and help them feel more comfortable with it.
You might say, "Although it may not seem like it, depression is very common.
It's actually one of the leading reasons people over 15 are on disability."Because it is so common, your child should feel comfortable discussing mental illness with you.
Let them know you want to talk to them about it, if they feel they have an issue.
About the Author
Janet Alvarez
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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