Celebrity advocacy can do amazing things, can’t it?

Whatever the cause, when a celebrity becomes involved the issue is likely to be propelled to new heights – sometimes to beneficial heights and the public becomes educated and aware, and sometimes to damaging heights causing widespread misinformation and wary, frustrated medical professionals.

Such is the topic of USA Today’s Are Celebrities Crossing the Line On Medical Advice?, and we’ve seen both scenarios in the mental health community.

Celebrities and their mental health campaigns – such as Paige Hemmis and Blueprint for Hope, Glenn Close and Bring Change 2 Mind, and Joey Pants and No Kidding, Me Too! – not only offer hope to those dealing with mental illness who might feel hopeless and isolated, but also help spread solid information about mental health, research, and resources to folks who might’ve otherwise just not known.

At the same time, the mental health community has celebrities like Tom Cruise – who claims psychiatry is a pseudoscience and publicly chastised Brooke Shields for using antidepressants to treat her postpartum depression – who are, no matter how good their intentions might be, spreading inaccurate information and potentially swaying people from seeking life-saving treatments.

Even the best celebrity supporter of a mental health campaign won’t deny that no matter what a celebrity is saying about a certain cause, people in the mental health community – just like folks in any other community – must take responsibility for their own education, awareness, and treatment.

They can do this by…

…talking with a doctor. Sure, sometimes it takes a little while to find one with whom you’re comfortable, but once you do, your doctor is the trained medical professional that treats you – not a celebrity.

…joining a support group. Surrounding yourself with people who know what you’re going through is beneficial on multiple levels. Not only can a support group help you feel less isolated and hopeless, but it can also help you learn from others’ experiences and help point you in the direction of valuable resources. In addition to any support groups your local community mental health center might offer, you can find support groups from large organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (both online communities and local affiliations), the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (both online support groups and local chapters), and the online groups and forums here at Psych Central.

…being careful with Google. There’s no reason you can’t do some research on your own, but be careful about the sources you trust. Most good celebrity mental health campaigns provide links to reliable resources and research, as do other solid mental health organizations (like all the ones listed above). It’s okay to broaden your search, but you must learn to tell the difference between reliable and sketchy resources.

…not diagnosing themselves or others. No matter what your doctor has told you, what you’ve encountered in your support group, and what you’ve read, unless you’re a doctor yourself you aren’t in a position to diagnosis anyone. Sometimes it’s easy to spot signs of depression and you might even think you show symptoms of bipolar disorder, but the best YOU can do is be supportive and offer to help the person find help (or make an appointment for yourself with a doctor).

…allowing loved ones to help. Chances are, if you’ve read this particular post this far you’re at least somewhat familiar with how difficult it is for some people to allow others to help them. Sometimes people don’t want to admit they have problems. Sometimes they don’t want to let others in on those problems. However, support is crucial and asking for and accepting help doesn’t make you weak.

Has celebrity advocacy affected you in any way? Helped you find resources and help, or perhaps steered you in the wrong direction?

What other suggestions would you offer someone for taking responsibility for their own mental health education, awareness, and treatment?

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    Last reviewed: 20 Jan 2010