Ideagen Global - Catalyze Magazine - November 2023

AN IDEAGEN GLOBAL EXCLUSIVE
Ending the Stigma on Mental
Health & Depression
With Executive Director of The American Psychiatric Association Foundation,
Rawle Andrews Jr.
Rawle: That is why we haven't been able to
demonstrate the fire, passion, energy, and the
seriousness of purpose that is required. We let
a word that we don't understand, that we don't
know where it comes from, do something for a
health condition that no other health condition
is fighting in the current day. One of the
examples we like to use is diabetes as it relates
to depression.
Rawle Andrews Jr at The Global Goals Summit
Rawle Andrews: As I have looked at social
determinants of health, working with our team,
I've found that there is stress coursing through
the veins of every one of the 17 development
goals. We all know and should know that there is
positive stress and there is negative stress. The
question is, how do we navigate this spectrum of
stress at any stage and any age?
Unlike many of the other goals, where
sometimes certain zip codes are further
marginalized than others, mental illness doesn't
discriminate against anybody at any age or any
stage; at any place, any time, or anywhere, you
can be touched, your teammates can be touched,
and your loved ones can be touched. But what
we often do is get stuck on stigma.
There was a time when people didn't know
what A1C was; now, whether you know what
your A1C score is or not, you don't hear
anybody talking about diabetes and stigma.
You don't hear about anybody being afraid to
tell somebody at work, play, or worship, "I
have diabetes, I'm type two, I'm type one,"
whatever the case may be. That's because
we've prioritized it.
We've recognized that diabetes is treatable, and
you can still live a normal life. You have a
treatable health condition; get some help if help
is available, and let's move forward. The same
is true of depression. Depression is a treatable
condition, so we can't be stuck on stigma when
somebody is trying to tell us or we're trying to
tell somebody else that we need some help. All
of us, at some point, are going to be touched.
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