Personal mental health issues have long been considered a taboo topic for public discussion. Too often, sufferers keep their struggles secret from family, friends, and coworkers for fear of being shamed, judged, or stigmatized. The social distancing and isolation measures necessary to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have aggravated the problem, causing notable increases in depression and hopelessness. As these mental health conditions become even more widespread, it is imperative that we remove the stigma associated with mental illness and make therapies more accessible. The panel will discuss these issues and the special role employers can play to help their employees find treatment without fear of being stigmatized.

This session will also feature an extended clip from Lift the Mask: Portraits of Life with Mental Illness, a documentary by The Quell Foundation. The film reveals and addresses systemic problems with social and cultural stigma, and the challenges associated with gaining access to effective treatment. Lift the Mask captures six individuals from a variety of backgrounds, living with different mental health diagnoses, who, in recounting their own experiences, speak directly to these issues. The film addresses how the criminal justice system is ill-prepared and under-resourced to manage the mental health of their population of people and sheds light on the difficulty of finding and maintaining medications that work once achieving access to proper and timely treatment. Several of the film's subjects speak directly to the deleterious effects associated with a severe shortage of mental health care providers. Each story shares how the acceptance and understanding of a loved one, often a parent or partner, is one of the most crucial and challenging aspects of proper care for someone struggling with mental illness.

Lift the Mask was awarded the 2020 Mental Health America Media award this summer.