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Anti-Stigma Project:
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

Daniel Fields
Washington County Community College
HUS219: Community Mental Health
Prof Elizabeth Sullivan
Due: 13 November 2024
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“Stigma: a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation (Stigma

definition & meaning).” A mark of disgrace. A stain on one’s reputation. This perception is what

keeps many people from seeking the assistance they require to, never mind thrive, but to even

survive. I campaigned hard when I was working for a company that was affiliated with the states

ASPIRE-TANF program about removing the stigma of asking for help attending numerous

resource fairs and tabling events designed to bring attention to the social assistance programs

available in my area. I still feel that this is a significant issue, locally, nationally and globally, that

we can do much better at addressing. I know that when I was talking to those participants in the

ASPIRE-TANF program one of the things that I kept hearing over and over was regret and

shame that they could not ‘handle things themselves’ and they were turning to the State for aid.

It doesn’t stop with asking for financial assistance, but continues into medical health, mental

health, school, and beyond. If we can eliminate this shame a healthier population would

undoubtedly follow.

To that end I would suggest beginning a campaign of informational memes, video

snippets, cartoons and an open sharing of feelings via social media platforms targeting, initially,

a younger population that lives in that sphere. I feel that they would be easier to reach and may

be more receptive to the ideas being put forth. And, as prolific as those social media sites are,

and the glut of information that is already shared on a regular basis, they would be more likely to

take the idea of putting themselves out there and having the vulnerability that is needed in the

initial stages of asking for help. Once that level of trust and expression is secured, future

generations will have the base of understanding that would allow them to better care for

themselves and their peers. Once the benefits of self-care and asking for help are realized then

they would be able to take that to their older family members by asking them if they need or
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want help. This ‘social media blitz’ would start with some of the more short-form platforms like

TikTok and Instagram and sharing memes advertising that “It’s Okay to Not be Okay” and in the

accompanying power point I’ve shared some designs I’ve found (but would never actually use

without attributing). Later, these designs could be used for a more physically based campaign

like posters, t-shirts, bags and other swag.

Getting people to recognize the importance of taking advantage of the strengths we have

all around us will help them to feel better. Recognizing and utilizing the support network they

have already been cultivating (knowingly or not!) will allow them to then reach out to others and

give somebody else the chance to feel better about themselves by being able to say that they

were able to help somebody. Hopefully, done correctly it can be modeled after other programs

that seek to teach awareness of not only the issues confronting us but also the solutions. In the

United Kingdom, there are anti-stigma programs aimed at specific target groups, like the media

and young people, and at the public at large. These programs operate via social marketing

campaigns, through regional activities, and at the level of small community groups funded to

carry out local anti-discrimination work. Similar programs are also running in New Zealand

(Like Minds Like Mine), Canada (Opening Minds), and Denmark (One of Us). (Henderson et al.,

2013).

Mental health is only one aspect of our lives where help would be needed and

appreciated. There could be programs for helping students seeking better understanding and

grades in school. Programs for directing them to peer tutoring services or even utilizing the

faculty to remove the stigma of asking for help in small ways. Presenting their time to help

students as “Student Hours” versus calling them “Office Hours” is a small way to open

accessibility, or even asking “What questions do you have?” versus “Do you have any
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questions?” or, instead of providing a syllabus providing a list of frequently asked questions.

Such tactics teach that questions (and asking them) is normal, and not knowing something is

okay (Thomas, 2020). Another thing to do would be to target boys/men, teaching them that it is

not a sign of weakness to ask for help and overcome the “boys don’t cry” toxic masculinity

attitude. Research backs up this social and cultural stereotype. One survey conducted by the

American Psychological Association showed how only 35% of men would pursue professional

help for their mental health, compared to 58% of women (BetterHelp, 2024).

In conclusion, the goal at the end of the day is to get more people to feel comfortable

with the idea of asking for help and not feeling that it is all on their shoulders. As in any physical

labor task, spreading the work around makes the load easier to share. By targeting those more

ready to listen the message will be delivered and spread faster and using a medium that they are

already familiar with makes it more accessible. Thus, using social media, memes, TikTok and

other short form messaging platforms (Blue Sky, X, Instagram, Reddit) makes it more likely that

the message will be heard.

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References

BBC. (2024, December 7). Cost of living: Wigan Charity’s puppy “reduces stigma” of asking
for help. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y4pepmn99o

BetterHelp Online Therapy. (2024, December 6). Story from Betterhelp Online therapy: Here’s
some advice to get over stigma and help men get support for mental health. USA Today.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sponsor-story/better-help/2024/12/06/heres-some-advice-
to-get-over-stigma-and-help-men-get-support-for-mental-health/76602539007/

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Stigma definition & meaning. Dictionary.com.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/stigma

Divinity, J. (2017, November 14). {Og: Title}. NAMI.

https://www.nami.org/personal-stories/never-be-ashamed-of-seeking-help/

Henderson, C., Evans-Lacko, S., & Thornicroft, G. (2013, May). Mental illness stigma, help
seeking, and public health programs. American journal of public health.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3698814/

McElhinny, G. (2024, October 31). Addressing mental health stigma among veterans. NVHS.
https://nvhs.org/addressing-the-stigma-of-mental-health-issues-among-veterans/?
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+Health+Stigma

Morgan. (2022, October 24). Make your day. TikTok.

https://www.tiktok.com/@mind.psy.guidance/video/7158108503511600430?
refer=player_v1&referer_video_id=7158108503511600430&referrer_url=https%3A%2F
%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv3%2F7158108503511600430%3Fautoplay
%3D1%26mute%3D0&utm_campaign=&utm_source=unknown

Rooney, S. C. (n.d.). Let’s talk about stigma and asking for help.
https://medicine.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/clinician-well-being/Stigmav2.pdf

Shanti, N. (2018, May 24). Life Lesson | It’s OK to Ask for Help. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ucrCVj0waI&t=12s

State of Maine: Office of Behavioral Health. (n.d.). Mental Health Services. Maine DHHS.
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/obh/support-services/mental-health-services

Stillman, S. (2023, November 15). The surprising benefits of asking for help. Next Avenue.
https://www.nextavenue.org/the-surprising-benefits-of-asking-for-help/
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Thomas, P. (2020, February 11). Eliminating the stigma around asking for help. Knack tutoring
blog. https://blog.joinknack.com/eliminating-the-stigma-around-asking-for-help

Villatoro, A. P., DuPont-Reyes, M. J., Phelan, J. G., & Link, B. G. (2022, June 6). “me” vs.
“them”: How mental illness stigma influences adolescent help-seeking behaviors for
oneself and recommendations for peers. Stigma and health.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9910848/