CPS Blog: Increasing Mental Health Literacy of Individuals Starting Their Recovery Journey
The concept of mental health literacy comes from health literacy, a definition that has evolved over the last few decades. Initially, the idea came about in light of observations that low functional literacy was associated with many poor health outcomes. The early definition focused primarily on ensuring that people could understand medical information and properly adhere to doctors’ instructions. In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) expanded the definition to include “the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health.”
Mental health literacy is crucial on both population and individual levels. A lack of understanding of mental health among the general public perpetuates discrimination and stigma towards those living with mental health conditions. From an individual standpoint, mental health literacy is closely associated with help-seeking behavior. It is important to be able to recognize signs of distress and know how to manage those negative feelings, whether that means seeking out services or utilizing coping strategies. Mental health literacy is empowering because it helps people understand their own mental health and how to act upon information they receive about it.
Peer support specialists can play a big role in increasing mental health literacy among the people they work with, especially in terms of helping individuals understand the mental health care system. There is a lot of system jargon that the average person doesn’t fully understand, which often hinders them from acting on it. People aren’t typically motivated to do anything that they don’t see value in it’s just human nature. When someone in crisis starts their recovery journey, it can be overwhelming for many reasons trying to figure out what service providers are telling you shouldn’t be part of the stress. Peer specialists, having been through it all before, can help individuals better connect to the information they are receiving and inspire them to stick through the ups and downs of recovery.