A mental health diagnosis is not a life sentence.

Having a mental health diagnosis is not a life sentence. In our world today, there are too many stereotypes about mental illness, and most of them are negative to the point that they can inhibit daily life but can also be harmful. One of the most widespread and unspoken is the idea that having a mental health illness sticks with you forever. I do not know where this idea began, and quite frankly, I don't care. I'm in the business of helping people overcome adversity and lead a productive, empowering, and fulfilling life. The idea that people are stuck with a life sentence without committing a crime is a hurdle that I, as a therapist, have to help my clients overcome far too often. Addressing the mental health symptoms and root causes is challenging enough without having to eliminate manufactured societal barriers. Most people do not realize that there are limited resources that a client and a therapist have to work with during treatment to produce results. Imagine a world where we as a people do not stereotype other people or ourselves. Can you picture how much we can accomplish as individuals and as a people without having to put resources towards these manufactured barriers?

This idea or stereotype is just not accurate. A good majority of people can evolve past their limitations of mental health and lead very productive lives without the symptoms of a mental health diagnosis. And if you have no symptoms, then you have no diagnosis in most, if not all, cases. Eliminating this mental health life sentence and others like it can decrease the amount of time a client needs to achieve their own identified goals. The change can also make therapists more effective and save insurance companies and clients a considerable sum of money.