Stigma hampers treatment of life’s problems

Mary had suffered from headaches for many years. She had tried many kinds of medication and numerous doctors had suggested that her problem might be related to her tendency to worry about everything. Sam, 15 years old, suffers from stomach problems that cause him to miss school. The pain and diarrhea might be caused by dislike of school, his doctor said. Alfred has suffered from low back pain for years, and all the medical examinations have pointed to a psychological reason rather than any specific physical or medical problem. He has been through three unhappy marriages, changed jobs at least once a year, and frequently resorts to alcohol to “calm his nerves.”

Physicians have known for some time that individuals tend to convey psychological problems into physical difficulties. The problem may originate from stress on a job, an unhappy marriage, difficulty in school or poor self-esteem. There are many reasons for unhappiness, but I have found that individuals who are unhappy find it difficult to accept the fact that their physical problems are strongly related to their unhappiness.

Many people make the mistake of relating psychological distress to weakness, laziness or unwillingness to face life when, in fact, the real reason behind the problem is much deeper and more complex. This unwillingness to admit the correlation between physical problems and psychological causes often centers around the stigma associated with going to a mental health professional.

People have told me that the main reason for their depression is that they have been told to see someone in the mental health field and they feel that it must be the end of the line for them. This stereotyped belief that mental health professionals practice some type of witchcraft for mind control is often one of the basic fears and beliefs that laymen have.

Most individuals do not realize that they are in some kind of counseling relationship every day. An individual at work often asks his employer or fellow employees about possible solutions to problems at work, such as how to perform a task more efficiently, what material to use, etc. A homemaker may ask the grocer about the best product to give her family the most nutritious meal or may ask the pharmacist about an over-the-counter remedy for her child at home who needs nose drops. Many of us counsel with attorneys and accountants about business problems. In short, we all ask for advice many times in our lives seeing a mental health practitioner is another example of seeking a specialized person to help solve one of life’s problems.

Few mental health practitioners use the couch in their practice. None employ a crystal ball to help make decision. In fact, most in the mental health field are individuals with families who encounter many of the problems their patients and clients deal with. Through training and experience based on scientific research done in medical schools and universities, they have developed sound counseling techniques. Just as dentists have developed new techniques to provide painless dentistry and to help overcome the fear of going to the dentist, mental health professionals are searching for ways of helping the lay public overcome the fear of going to a mental health expert. We are trying to escape the stigma and label of being “head shrinkers.” Counseling being performed in churches and school settings is helping the public overcome their fear of seeking help from trained counselors.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1986