MHSMchatHere is the exact link to the 1/3/2012 #mhsm chat
on What will the phrase #Behavioralhealth mean for #stigma? http://t.co/WoUF1V6O
It was a great chat with lots of participation and sharing.
Join us next week 1/10/12 when Natasha Tracy will moderate the topic Treatment and Consent
The chat was interesting, very interesting. From what I gather, the term behavioral health should only be used in certain situations where behaviors can be changed to improve mental health conditions. In my case, my depression lessens the more I try harder to do things differently and think differently. For others, depending on their circumstances and diagnosis, it’s a different story. Just because it seems to be working for me doesn’t mean it will work for someone else, so I think we need to be careful when we use the term b/c the general public will look at people with a mental illness and say “they aren’t trying hard enough.”
Example for comparison – obesity. For some people, they just need to exercise and eat better. But not everyone who is obese is just a lazy person who never exercises and eats nothing but junk. Some people who are heavier have hormone problems, such as PCOS, which makes it so much harder to lose weight. Behavioral health, in this situation, is just getting the guy who just needs to eat better do it. Behavioral health won’t help the person with PCOS.
I hope I’m making sense. lol