Stop Mental Health Stigma

What is #Stopmentalhealthstigma?

#Stopmentalhealthstigma is a movement that is directed towards the stigma that is associated with mental illness.

Mental health is a fundamental issue, all of which is represented negatively. The perception we have of mental illness is incorrect most of the time and this account is dedicated to stopping this representation and stigma.

Wattpad is a huge community – with so many people joining and reading every day, maybe together, we can help in preventing the stigma associated with mental health. Nothing is impossible after all.

To join this movement, all that is required is a character in your novel to have a mental illness of some sort. It doesn't have to be a main character, but one that at least plays a significant part in a part of your book. E.g, a character admitting this illness and portraying the reality of the illness. For instance, depression doesn't mean that someone cries constantly. Since Mental Health is a serious issue, it's recommended that if you join this movement, it's always best to research the illness itself and not base it on your own perception.

Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety, OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder), DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), Bipolar disorder, Eating disorders, Panic attacks, schizophrenia and so on. As you can see, the list of mental illnesses is endless and yet there are hardly any books on here directed towards mental illness – or the way that people tend to view it.

Tag your novel with either #mentalhealthstigma or #stopmentalhealthstigma and it'll be added to the reading list. Alongside this, a weekly promotion of these novels will be added later on in the month. Tagging it on your profile is also a brilliant way to promote this cause!

Mental health deserves to be explored and represented in a way that is deemed acceptable. Good luck to everyone who joins this movement!