Decreasing stigma around mental health requires engaging with skeptics.

There are low-stakes ways to engage skeptics you have a personal relationship with.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and every year I reflect on how much we’ve accomplished in improving awareness and reducing the stigma around mental illness and mental health treatment. Recently, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Movement announced that there would be significant efforts focused on getting Americans off of SSRIs, the leading evidence-based medication for treating anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Instead, ”lifestyle changes” will be strongly encouraged as the preferred treatment. Judging just from the comments, there are many people who support the approach, despite limited empirical evidence in favor of it.

For example, many people still believe that depression can be addressed by eating healthy, exercising, and thinking positively. Although these are certainly good habits to acquire, for millions of individuals, these healthy habits are not enough to treat severe and chronic depression. People are shamed for having mental health conditions, and when others learn that they are taking medication or going to therapy, they might be........

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