The Need to Normalize and Prioritize Discussion of Mental Health

January 5, 2014

by Veronica Vaiti, LCSW-R

Recently Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrote an editorial in which he outlined the necessity for placing Mental Health at #1 on the agenda of news pundits and journalists to address in their work. To those of us who work in the field of mental health, what Mr. Kristof writes resonates deeply on a visceral level; for our purpose in entering this field of work is exactly that – tending to those who struggle with and hopefully thereby easing the burden of the various forms and manifestations of mental illness and dis-ease.

In his article Mr. Kristof writes, “So if we want to tackle a broad range of social pathologies and inequities, we as a society have to break taboos about mental health. There has been progress, and news organizations can help accelerate it. But too often our coverage just aggravates the stigma and thereby encourages more silence.

Mental Health is a vast, rich and exciting field. It is an area that impacts every single human being walking the face of the Earth either directly and/or indirectly. As such, we intend to do our part in encouraging the normalization and prioritization of the discussion of mental health. We welcome your thoughts and feelings on this topic and hope to hear back from you. Click here to read Mr. Kristof’s editorial in full.

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