Mental Health Matters: 7 Tools to Silence the Shame

Voices of Hope

On July 22, I had the opportunity to attend the Haven House Mental Health Conference hosted by The House of Hope in Decatur, GA. Anchor Hospital was the premier sponsor along with several conference partners.

Mental Illness is not a punishment from God.-Rev. Dr. Percy Johnson

Rev. Johnson posited that theology and mental health should be integrated.

Silence The Shame

One of the conference partners was Silence The Shame. Silence The Shame is an initiative started in 2016 by music industry veteran Shanti Das. Shanti has experienced the real lived experiences of mental illness from the suicide of her father as an infant to her struggles with depression. With the Silence The Shame platform, Shanti hopes to peel back the layers of shame and stigma as it relates to mental health.

There are millions of people suffering and they are afraid to speak on it. – Silence The Shame

During a workshop entitled “Power: Removing the Stigma Around Mental Health”, Shanti facilitated a panel with expert panelists along with ambassadors with lived experiences. Two of the panelist shared their powerful personal testimonies of shame and stigma following the suicide and attempted suicide respectively of their loved one.

7 Tools To Silence The Shame

We must be honest and transparent- Shanti Das

1. Celebrate the positives of your loved one experiencing mental illness as well as those whom have lost their lives.
2. Forgive yourself.
3. Keep It Real. “We must be honest and transparent”. –Shanti Das
4. Make the decision to be happy.
5. Engage in self-care.
6. Engage in physical activity.
7. Turn your pain into purpose.

Resources (The list consists of partners, sponsors and vendors in attendance at the 2017 Mental Health Conference.)
Haven House Counseling Center 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway Decatur, GA 30034 (404) 243- 9336 EXT 2250	Anchor Hospital (24/7 Walk-In Assistance) 5454 Yorktowne Drive Atlanta, GA 30349 (770) 991-6044
Georgia Crisis & Access Line (24/7) Mygcal.com 1-800-715-4225	Silence The Shame www.silencetheshame.com Instagram: @silencetheshame
Potter’s House 2300 West Park Place Stone Mountain, GA 30087 www.thepottershouseinc.org	Mental Health America 100 Edgewood Ave Ne, Suite 502 Atlanta, GA 30303 www.mhageoriga.org
Tabitha’s House 1400 Buford Hyw, Suite R4 Sugar Hill, GA 30518 www.tabithashouseint.org	Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, Inc. 246 Sycamore St, Ste 260 Decatur, GA 30030 www.gmhcn.org
Potter’s House 200 West Park Place Blvd, Suite 135 Stone Mountain, GA 30087 www.thepottershouseinc.or	Parent to Parent of Georgia www.p2pga.org
NAMI DeKalb www.namidekalb.com	For services outside of the Greater Atlanta area, contact the NAMI Helpline. (800) 950-6264 www.nami.org

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