Any change that we make requires a determined mindset and an action plan. For anyone who has ever tried to change an engrained behavior, whatever it may be, you know that it is not easy. Prochaska and DiCelemente framed the process by which we engage in behavioral change:
- Pre-contemplation: I have no problem
- Contemplation: I might have a problem
- Preparation: What I need to do to change
- Action: Engaging in the steps to change
- Maintenance: Actions to maintain change
While this is laid out in a linear fashion, the change process is anything BUT linear. We can cycle back and forth between stages and, sometimes, never make it through. AND, who’s to say how long each of these stages might last.
Now, if you are a person who is experiencing mental health symptoms, imagine how much harder this change cycle might be. Apart from the symptoms that might weigh you down (ex. sadness, anxiety, substance use, interrupted sleep, low energy, disrupted eating patterns), here are additional, potential barriers to change, linked to the stigma surrounding mental illness, which compound your original symptoms:
- Cultural taboo
- Familial beliefs
- Personal philosophy
- Socio-economic status
- Religion
- Language
- Access to healthcare
- Limited community resources
- Professional implications
I share this with you, my fellow interpreters, as a reminder of the likely process that our LEPs have gone through to seek mental health counseling. When we find ourselves in a clinical assessment or therapy session for an LEP who has sought treatment, let’s remember all that went into taking this step. It is a mark of bravery, pure and simple.
Here is an excellent article from the Providence Journal on mental illness, as told by members of the community.
http://m.providencejournal.com/article/20150711/NEWS/150719986/0/rwd
For the Spanish-speaking community, the National Alliance on Mental Illness has its website fully translated into Spanish:
photo courtesy of http://fromupnorth.com/photography-inspiration-822/
Through My Mind's Eye 