What To Say
How do we stop stigma? Start by being open to conversations about mental health.
To reduce mental illness-related stigma, we need to feel comfortable having conversations about it. It used to be that cancer was “taboo” to talk about, but through open and honest conversations, cancer became de-stigmatized. The more we talk about mental health conditions, the more normalized it becomes. Starting the conversation is the first step.
DO SAY
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"Thanks for opening up to me."
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"Is there anything I can do to help?"
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"How can I help?"
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"Thanks for sharing."
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"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be tough."
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"I'm here for you when you need me."
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"I can't imagine what you're going through."
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"People do get better."
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"Oh man, that sucks."
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"Can I drive you to an appointment?"
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"How are you feeling today?"
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"I love you."
DON'T SAY
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"It could be worse."
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"Just deal with it."
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"Snap out of it."
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"Everyone feels that way sometimes."
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"You may have brought this on yourself."
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"We've all been there."
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"You've got to pull yourself together."
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"Maybe try thinking happier thoughts."
USE RESPECTFUL LANGUAGE THAT DOES NOT DEFINE SOMEONE BY AN ILLNESS:
INSTEAD OF...
She's bipolar
Schizophrenic
Manic depressive
The mentally ill
Committed suicide
TRY...
She has bipolar disorder/She's living with bipolar disorder
person with schizophrenia
person with bipolar disorder
people with a mental illness/mental health condition
died by suicide