In New York Times Columnist David Brooks’ bestseller, The Social Animal, the author states the human unconscious mind is vastly more creative and important than we once believed. We are a social creature and through these interactions our deepest brain processes form our character and guide our decisions, he asserts.
If we think of our brains as wired purely biologically we have an incomplete picture. We are also wired socially. The social brain wiring--the structure and function of the developing brain--is sculpted by how experiences and relationships impact our biological makeup.
We are patently social people. Much of our mental wellness both derives and manifests from the nature of our relationships. Our relational brains across the lifespan are molded in connection with others and patterns of communication can undermine or enrich mental wellness. The command center of our brains is more than just how we tick, it’s how we tick with others and how others tick with us, having a fundamental impact on how we think feel and behave.
Affordable mental wellness needs to be everyone’s right. In California about half of adults and two-thirds of adolescents with mental health needs do not get help.
STIGMA AND SOLUTIONS
The primary human need for relationship is fostered by vital support and community groups and creative activities. The surest way to foster vital social support and strengthen our communities is to reduce the influence of negative stigma regarding mental illness. Three out of four of those with a mental illness claim they have been subjected to stigma, best described as being viewed in a negative way that isolates and disgraces a person. The National Alliance on Mental Illness runs a #Iamstigmafree campaign that urges organizations and individuals to support in three easy steps.
Still, negative stigma remains a stubborn hurdle, one in desperate need of societal shift.
“No one would ever say that someone with a broken leg is less than a whole person, but people say or imply that all the time about people with mental illness.”
Elyn R. Saks
Founder, Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics
Offering support for individuals and communities recognises our inherent social-emotional interdependence. Embracing histories, traditions, beliefs, languages, and value systems of culturally diverse groups recognizes our fundamental human connectedness. A one-size-fits-all approach to mental health care just isn’t enough.
UNEQUAL ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE
Some people in our community face significant challenges and may need more support than others to improve their wellbeing, for example, people who are:
- socially isolated
- from black or minority ethnic groups
- low income or unemployed
- living with a long-term health condition
- men from households with the lowest 20 percent of incomes
- people with less than three close relatives or friends are more likely to experience
- gay and bisexual men- 22 percent experience moderate to severe levels of depression
- Between 25 and 40 percent of all mentally ill Americans will be jailed or incarcerated
Affordable mental wellness needs to be everyone’s right. In California about half of adults and two-thirds of adolescents with mental health needs do not get help.
TAKE ACTION FOR A HEALTHY LIFE
Historically, mental health treatment occurred largely between the individual and his or her psyche. But now, recognition of our social brain increasingly places the family and community at the heart of wellness.
Anyone can advocate for their own wellbeing and for the wellbeing of their families and communities. The New Economics Foundation identified five everyday things that will have a lasting impact on our health and wellness:
- Connect with the people around you to develop strong, supportive relationships.
- Be active. Go outside and participate in physical activity suited to your fitness level.
- Take notice. Be curious, aware of the world around you, and reflect on experiences to help appreciate and focus on what matters to you.
- Keep learning. Rediscover an old interest or try something new to feel more confident and engaged.
- Give. Whether it’s time, money or expertise, generosity links you to a wider community in a way that is rewarding for everyone.
The most promising advocacy efforts are those that strip stigma and reveal the lived experience of mental health and mental illness. Whether through awareness-raising media campaigns or research and legal action to expand and diversify health care access, programs that humanize mental health and connect people to community supports can see positive outcomes at any age. By finding and funding projects that engage systems of support, we can advance our understanding of what mental health can do for us and for our communities.
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RESOURCES
Health and Human Rights Journal. “Mental health and inequity: A human rights approach to inequality, discrimination, and mental disability.”
http://www.hhrjournal.org/2013/08/mental-health-and-inequity-a-human-rights-approach-to-inequality-discrimination-and-mental-disability/
New York Times. “David Brooks’s Theory of Human Nature.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/books/review/book-review-the-social-animal-by-david-brooks.html