In my MS Word dictionary “Stigma” means “shame or disgrace attached to something regarded as socially unacceptable”.  Stigma related to mental health is covert and overt; systemic and systematic.  Stigma related to mental health seems quite odd given that stigma, according to my computer, is shame over something socially unacceptable.  The “shame over something socially unacceptable” should be attached to our view and approach to mental health; not mental health needs.
 
Stigma associated with mental health is a huge problem for researchers.  It prevents us from truly understanding the prevalence of mental health needs.  The statistic often quoted is that 1/5 children have a “diagnosable” mental health disorder.  While significant, it seriously underestimates the impact of the mental health needs of children and youth.  This estimate does not include the number of children with needs that are at “sub-clinical levels”.  While these needs may not be “diagnosable” they can nonetheless pose difficulties for children, youth and their families and may put children at risk for moving to clinical levels without intervention.  This statistic also does not include children who experience the effects of others in their lives who have mental health needs; parents, siblings, friends, school mates.  An additional challenge for researchers is if we don’t know the number of people and the degree to which they affected by mental health issues, it limits our ability to understand fully how interventions work and for whom.
 
I describe myself in many ways.  I am a wife (to a wonderful husband), daughter, friend and co-worker.  I am a person that belongs to some very cool little cats (I will not disclose the number) and the owner of, well let’s say, many, many pairs of shoes (my husband’s tolerance of which is one of the things that makes him wonderful).  My guilty pleasures are Coronation Street and In Style magazine.  Finally, I have lived through, and live with, anxiety and depression which occur in my family.
 
It is nice to be at a point in my life and in the world where I can comfortably identify my mental health strengths and limitations. I am significantly less comfortable disclosing the number of shoes I own and the number of cats that own me.   Take that stigma!