Many people suffering with mental illness are socially isolated and uncared for, as outdated and mistaken beliefs about mental illness affect the quality and availability of mental health services. Michelle Obama has taken the lead on ending this stigma so that sufferers, including military personnel, veterans, and their families, can get the help they need. We asked her to elaborate on this pressing issue.
PREVENTION: What drew you to work on mental health issues?
MICHELLE OBAMA: I knew that post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the signature wounds of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But I kept meeting service members and military spouses who were hesitant to ask for help because they thought they should be able to handle it themselves or that seeking help meant they were weak or broken. But, of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Our service members, veterans, and their families are some of the most courageous, resilient folks I have ever met, and asking for help is always a sign of strength. Dr. Jill Biden [the wife of Vice President Joe Biden] and I launched Joining Forces to ask all Americans to support our service members, veterans, and their families on the subject of mental health care, among other topics like education and employment.
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PVN: You've also been destigmatizing mental illness more broadly, urging anyone with a mental health problem to seek help.
MO: Yes. Right now, 1 in 4 American adults lives with a diagnosable mental health condition, whether it's PTSD, depression, anxiety, or something else entirely. That means that nearly all of us in this country are either dealing with this issue ourselves or know someone who is. So, really, the stigma around talking about mental health and getting help for it just doesn't make any sense. This is an issue that affects us all.
PVN: What can we do if someone we care about is in need of mental health care?
MO: It can be very hard to see someone you love struggling this way. The most important thing you can do is encourage that person to seek help. I'm proud that the Affordable Care Act expanded mental health and substance abuse benefits and protections to 60 million Americans to ensure that they can actually get the services they need. You can visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website at samhsa.gov to learn more about mental health conditions and how you can support your friends and family who are dealing with them. And of course, it's important to take care of yourself, too, and get the support you need as you help your loved one.
PVN: Can you tell us about the Campaign to Change Direction?
MO: It's focused on educating people to recognize five signs that indicate someone they know might be dealing with a mental health issue. These are personality change, agitation, withdrawal, poor self-care, and hopelessness. Anyone can get involved and take the pledge to learn and teach the five signs by visiting changedirection.org.
PVN: What can the average person offer to our service members, veterans, and military families?
MO: Jill and I like to say that each of us should simply do what we do best to honor and help our service members, veterans, and their families. So if you're a teacher, you can learn how to support the military kids in your classroom. If you're a health care provider, you can take a course about the needs of military and veteran populations. If you're an employer, you can hire a veteran or military spouse. Every single one of us can show our support and gratitude for our military community.
PVN: What can we teach children about mental health and people with mental illness?
MO: It's so important to talk openly about mental health with our kids and stress the importance of empathy and understanding. We'd never tell a person with cancer or a broken leg to just "tough it out" or that she'd be fine if she would just relax. We need to teach our kids that mental illnesses are just like physical illnesses and deserve the same kind of care and compassion.