Our vision at Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) is to free the world from the stigma associated with mental health. We can only achieve our mission with the help and support of our community, state, and many local and national partners.
Stigma prevents policymakers from crafting laws free from discrimination and discourages students from pursuing mental health careers. The shame caused by stigma keeps people from seeking the treatment they need, leading to increased rates of suicide and substance use disorders. Stigma has led to an underfunded mental health system, and often, those with the most severe needs fall through the cracks.
On March 31, HMHI and Christena Huntsman Durham, Executive Vice President of the Huntsman Foundation, and David Huntsman, President and COO of the Huntsman Foundation, hosted the first of many Utah Mental Health Anti-Stigma community conversations. More than 70 local stakeholders attended, representing many populations and sectors - healthcare, business, nonprofit, schools, and government leaders. The objective of the meeting was to:
- Build a leadership community in Utah to work together to end stigma
- Identify the areas and communities that need urgent attention
"We live in a generous community. We care for each other when a neighbor has cancer or a broken bone. We need to do the same when it comes to matters of the brain. Let's have more compassion and share our heartaches so we can heal together," said Christena Huntsman Durham.
Seth Kahan, Founder and CEO of Visionary Leadership, facilitated the conversation and encouraged the group to start by sharing their stories and experiences with mental health stigma. Story sharing, Kahan noted, is a critical piece to ending stigma and normalizing mental health. Sharing stories allows everyone to realize that many people have similar experiences and can encourage those needing help to seek support.
During the 90-minute virtual meeting, the topics of conversation ranged from workforce shortages to health insurance equity, access to treatment, bullying, and ensuring underrepresented communities have access to care, among others.
In the meetings to come, the group will work together to establish metrics to build a sustainable model, create outreach plans to connect hard-to-reach and underserved communities and populations and build the infrastructure to communicate the vision across the state.
"The work starts from the heart," says Mark H. Rapaport, MD, CEO of HMHI. "If we successfully create a plan for our state to end mental health stigma and successfully build this community, we can then serve as a model for other states to follow."
HMHI is also launching a "Grand Challenge" national initiative to eliminate mental health and substance use disorder stigma. Leaders from across the country representing major mental health institutions, community-based organizations, and government leaders will be gathering in Utah in mid-April to discuss ways to align and collaborate to eliminate stigma.
"Mental health stigma is real, it's painful, and it holds us back from so many of our important and aspirational goals," says David Huntsman, President and COO of the Huntsman Foundation. "We will never reach our full potential to help people unless we also make a difference in addressing stigma."