You may be a mental health advocate if you work hard to raise awareness and lessen the stigma.
Attitudes toward mental illness have changed in recent years, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Mental health advocates are an essential part of this work.
The good news is anyone can be one.
Maybe you’re a teen who wants to raise awareness about anxiety and depression in your high school.
Or perhaps you have personal knowledge of a mental health condition and want to speak out about your needs and those of people living similar experiences.
Regardless of your age and background, there are many ways — big and small — to be a mental health advocate.
An advocate, in general, is someone who supports and speaks up on behalf of a specific cause or group of people. A mental health advocate focuses on mental health topics.
A mental health advocate becomes aware of an issue or need and then speaks about it to others, so they, too, become aware or gain knowledge.
Advocate efforts may include:
Audrey Grunst, a licensed adult and adolescent therapist in Northbrook, Illinois, says mental health advocates are people who show up in a public way. And these ways may include:
In sum, there are no unique formulas to be a mental health advocate.
You can find your own way to be a spokesperson for a cause close to your heart. You can be an advocate for yourself and others.
You may not be comfortable going to in-person events, for example. But developing a blog or engaging in online conversations may feel natural.
While there are definitely similarities between advocates and activists, they’re not necessarily the same.
According to the U.S. Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights, activism is an action-oriented effort.
Advocacy, on the other hand, involves publicly representing or speaking on behalf of a cause.
Activism also involves speaking up but often includes organizing and participating in activities to promote, protest, or lead change regarding a controversial topic. These activities can include:
Both activists and advocates work toward social change and aim to represent those who most need it. You can be both an advocate and an activist.
In fact, most activists are advocates for their causes, while advocates are not necessarily activists.
A mental health advocate is “anyone who speaks out against the stigma associated with mental health issues and promotes seeking medical help for mental health issues,” explains Indra Cidambi, a certified psychiatrist in Summit, New Jersey.
However, this doesn’t involve fighting for social justice. Instead, she says, “it seeks medical justice.”
No. Although many people use the terms interchangeably, they’re not the same.
Being an ally can be one-to-one or a group effort. It involves supporting a community you’re not a part of. It’s amplifying their voices, stepping up to shield and support them, and contributing to their progress.
For example, white folks can act as allies for Black or Latino communities by being inclusive, standing up to racism and hate expressions, and providing safe spaces.
Allyship doesn’t necessarily include speaking out publicly or becoming a spokesperson. Advocacy does.
Without mental health advocates, we would likely still be talking about mental health conditions in whispers.
At some point, an advocate spoke publicly about depression, schizophrenia, or domestic violence. That provided much-needed visibility to these issues, and that may have started a change.
But even today, as we speak more freely about mental health, many people still face stigma and barriers to treatment.
“Only increased awareness and addressment can help increase access to treatment,” says Cidambi. By increasing awareness, advocates help lower these barriers, including the lack of insurance coverage for mental health services.
On an individual level, advocates who openly talk about their experiences with mental health conditions can help people feel less alone and encourage them to seek treatment.
They may also encourage others who don’t live with these conditions to become more aware and empathetic.
This is why advocacy is also vital on a community-wide level.
And mental health advocacy helps us all be more tolerant, inclusive, empathetic, and active in supporting those who live with mental illness.
It can be challenging to advocate for others in your community if you don’t advocate for yourself first. But it can be hard to know how to get started.
Here are some ways you can advocate for yourself:
You don’t need to live with a mental health condition to advocate for others. However, it’s important to educate yourself before trying to do so.
Here are some ideas to consider for how to advocate for others living with mental health conditions:
Mental health advocacy involves speaking to decision-makers to request equal access to mental health services. Encouraging people to seek treatment and providing them with the information to do so is also key.
Anyone can become a mental health advocate, and there are many ways to advocate for yourself or others.
Speaking up is a vital part of changing perceptions around mental health and increasing access to treatment and services.
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Medically reviewed by Kendra Kubala, PsyD, Psychology — Written by Steph Coelho, CPT — Updated on August 23, 2021
© 2024 Psych Central, a Healthline Media Company. All rights reserved. Healthline Media is an RVO Health Company. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Psych Central does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. See additional information.
© 2024 Psych Central, a Healthline Media Company. All rights reserved. Healthline Media is an RVO Health Company. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Psych Central does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. See additional information.
