How Are You, Really?

I recently learned that this week is Mental Health Awareness Week. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know this was a thing. That’s not to say that I don’t believe it’s important, I just didn’t know that there was both a month (May) and a week dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health. However, as I thought more about it, and given the current year that we’ve all been experiencing together, I think every week should be dedicated to our mental health. 

It was interesting to realize that this week of recognition falls during DV Awareness Month. It’s my hope that this was done purposefully, because I don’t think we do enough to validate the experiences of survivors and the effects of those experiences on their mental health. Typically, when we first think about domestic violence, we picture physical abuse. Whether that’s due to Hollywood’s portrayal of interpersonal violence, or the belief that physical violence is most volatile, I’m not sure. While physical violence is one of the many forms of violence that’s encompassed in domestic abuse, it’s not the most common. Verbal. Emotional. Mental. Financial. Sexual. These are all the different ways that an abusive partner tries to gain power over a survivor.

• Survivors of domestic abuse are more likely to experience mental health problems (anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, substance abuse, etc.)

  • People with disabilities are more likely to experience abuse than are people without disabilities

  • A survey conducted by the Spectrum Institute Disability and Abuse Project found that 87.2% of people with disabilities had experienced verbal/emotional abuse by an intimate partner, family member, caregiver, acquaintance or stranger

-Jordann Mason, Community Outreach Director

Any form of power-based personal violence will have an affect on someone’s mental health. Every form of abuse is also mental abuse. Part of the fight to end domestic violence includes destigmatizing mental health disorders and receiving mental health support or services. When we take a realistic look at the world, every person could benefit from improving their mental health. Start by checking in with those around you, having conversations about how we’re really doing, and practicing compassion and understanding when someone could use a little extra help.