SAY IT OUT LOUD Anti-Stigma Campaign Launches in Oak Park

From Thrive Counseling Center: 

Oak Park has long been considered one of the most forward-thinking communities in the United States. The town has a rich history of activism and has taken the lead on numerous social, political, and health issues. The stigma surrounding mental illness is one of the more recent issues that this community is working to alleviate. 

The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township (CMHB) discovered that stigma was a significant local issue after conducting a comprehensive community needs assessment. The assessment revealed that self-stigma and public stigma prevented residents from seeking help for mental health concerns. The assessment also concluded that stigma bred discrimination and negative attitudes towards those impacted by mental illness. Similar stigma concerns were also discovered in the areas of addiction and developmental disabilities.

The CMHB recently awarded $50,000 in grant funding for evidence based initiatives that combat stigma. Three local mental health organizations – NAMI Metro Suburban, Thrive Counseling Center, and Thresholds –joined forces to implement a SAY IT OUT LOUD anti-stigma campaign in Oak Park. This local campaign was inspired by a larger statewide initiative. 

The SAY IT OUT LOUD campaign conveys that mental health should be discussed openly, just like physical health. Communities can reduce mental health stigma and increase access to treatment by learning more about mental health, the stigma that surrounds mental illness and openly discussing all mental health issues.  

SAY IT OUT LOUD campaign hopes to reduce stigma and raise mental health awareness through local events, school-based initiatives, and online resources. The CMHB has assembled a SAY IT OUT LOUD campaign task force of local organizations, schools, government agencies, and community members. The task force serves as the driving force behind the campaign message. The task force will distribute resource materials, schedule local events, and help spread the word about online resources and events.

SAY IT OUT LOUD will kick-off the campaign with a free community event on Friday November 4th at 7pm at The Arts Center of Oak Park.  The event features five different performances from “Erasing the Distance” – a Chicago-based acting troupe that uses inspiring true stories to educate the community about mental health and decrease mental illness stigma. This kick-off event will also include mental health resource tables. SAY IT OUT LOUD will schedule smaller events that are tailored toward the needs of organizations in the community.

SAY IT OUT LOUD also looks to implement numerous school-based initiatives. These initiatives include an anti-stigma art project, stigma research and analysis, and specialized student programming. SAY IT OUT LOUD is working to start an Active Minds chapter at OPRF High School. Active Minds is a student-driven mental health advocacy group with hundreds of nationwide chapters at universities and high schools.  

SAY IT OUT LOUD recently created www.SIOLnow.com as an online resource for campaign information, local campaign events, mental health resources, and discussion.

Community members can also contact Kimberly Knake at NAMI Metro-Suburban (Knake-NAMI@sbcglobal.net or 630-460-4429) to schedule an anti-stigma event within their own organization