Carrie Seidman: Why taking a 'mental health' day is a good thing
The Herald-TribuneNov 17, 2019
It's true I was feeling a little burned out and creatively uninspired, so the respite was welcome and well-timed. But the trip had been long planned and previously postponed, so nothing threatening precipitated it. Little did I suspect that my framing of the mini-sabbatical would cause such a stir.
We hadn't hit
Much as I appreciated the show of concern, it seemed wildly out of proportion and it got me thinking (once again) about the dual standards we have for our physical and mental health.
The reaction would likely have been quite different if I'd said I was taking time off to participate in a breast cancer walk or to have some dental work done. But the words "mental health," immediately acted as a red flag, an intimation of something critical or covert. Heaven forbid I should dodge my work duties as a matter of routine self care.
Why is it we're praised for starting a new exercise program, quitting tobacco or alcohol, or trying a healthier diet, yet proactively addressing mounting stress or emotional fatigue is seen as cause for consternation or alarm? Why does our health care system encourage protective steps to insure against heart disease or obesity, but fail to similarly applaud (and often, cover the cost of) preemptive mental well-being measures?
It reminded me of what the youngest participant in my mental health project, FACEing Mental Illness, told me about her peers' reaction to learning she needed to take medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
"People would say it at school like it was a bad thing,"
At the time, she wasn't even sure what the word meant. But after looking up the definition -- "of or relating to the mind" -- and seeing it didn't actually carry any implicit negative connotation, she realized (at the tender age of 7) how the word and conditions like hers are misunderstood, misconstrued and maligned.
"Before when my friends would use that word, I would just stay quiet and try to find a different topic," she said. "Now I think it's mean and rude and it's a bad thing that I let them do that."
Over the past decade, mental health has nudged out of the closet in significant ways. Celebrities sharing their psychiatric diagnoses have helped reduce stereotypes. Insurance parity for mental illness is now the law, albeit not always enforced. Legislators have belatedly begun pushing for increased mental health and addiction services, though they're still woefully underfunded. (Especially in
But we've yet to reach that tipping point where speaking about a mental health challenge comes as easily as discussing an upcoming surgery, or where reaction to either is equally sympathetic and supportive. Nor have we accepted that incorporating daily practices to insure mental stability and serenity should be a public health priority.
Recently, Democratic State Representative
A recent study showing the rate of major depressive episodes among 12- to 17-year old has increased 52 percent since 2005 spurred the legislation, which mirrors other efforts across the nation. A comparable proposal was introduced in the
This timely, albeit timid bill represents one of several small but positive steps in the right direction. In July, the
Together, these small advances represent an emerging recognition that preventative and proactive attention to mental health -- something that has long been our approach to physical wellness -- will ultimately be more effective, efficient and transformative than the crisis care that's standard practice today.
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