On this week’s episode of The Hardcore Humanism Podcast, we talked with mental health advocate Lily Cornell Silver. Silver is the daughter of the late Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog and Audioslave, and music industry manager Susan Silver. On July 20th, in honor of what would have been her father’s 56th birthday, Silver launched the Instagram Television (IGTV) interview series Mind Wide Open, which tackles the difficult topic of how we understand, cope with and challenge the stigma of mental illness. Her show includes guests from varying backgrounds, including rock stars such as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Duff McKagan of Guns and Roses, academic scientists such as Marc Brackett and David Kessler, and leaders of charitable organizations such as Harold Owens of MusiCares and Laura Lipsky of The Trauma Stewardship Institute, all sharing their experience struggling with and/or working with mental illness.
Silver’s leadership and advocacy could not come at a better time as we currently face a worldwide mental health crisis. Mental illness is common and affects millions of people – as many as 30% of people worldwide during their lifetime. Further, mental illness can often be chronic, with those who suffer facing ongoing risk of relapse. In fact, even if receiving treatment, individuals who suffer from addiction face a 40-60% relapse rate. And struggling with mental illness is not only associated with tremendous suffering, but also with severe loss of functioning. As an example, depressed individuals may experience symptoms such as loss of interest in activities, poor concentration, low energy and sleep and eating disturbance while also finding it difficult to work or engage in social activities. Statistics show that depression has become the number one cause of work disability worldwide. And in the most extreme cases, this suffering and loss of functioning can result in loss of life as mental illness remains perhaps the most powerful predictor of suicide. This existing mental health crisis has only been exacerbated by the current worldwide pandemic. As Covid-19 causes more stress, lack of access to treatment, diminished social interactions and less engagement in enjoyable activities, the risk for negative mental health consequences is skyrocketing.
As horrible as the mental health crisis is worldwide, making matters worse is the stigma facing those who struggle with mental illness. This stigma comes in many forms. Often it starts with sheer ignorance on a personal level. People see changes in mood, thinking or behavior in their friends, co-workers and loved ones and are disturbed by the change and unaware of the cause. Worse, people with mental illness often find their conditions dismissed as a reflection of character. Depression is interpreted as laziness. Anxiety is seen as weakness. Addiction is perceived as a lack of will power. As a result, people who struggle with mental illness are less likely to reach out to seek help for fear of being scorned, mocked or judged. And this stigma can occur in institutional settings. Up to 80% of people do not feel comfortable sharing the experience of mental illness at their workplace for fear of stigma. The situation appears no better in healthcare settings, with people who struggle with mental illness often reporting experiencing stigma from medical professionals. The consequence is that many people will suffer alone rather than seek and receive the treatment they need for fear of stigma.
One of the most powerful things that we as a society can do is be willing to share our personal stories and talk about mental illness in a public forum as Silver is doing with Mind Wide Open. Having people from all walks of life, including our most famous rock stars talk about mental illness humanizes the experience, and models the types of open and in-depth conversations we need to be having in order to learn from each other about the causes and treatments of mental illness. And by doing so, Silver is helping us all challenge the stigma of mental illness and tear down one of the biggest barriers to efficacious treatment. In our discussion we talk about why she chose the path of becoming a mental health advocate, the barriers she has faced in pursuing this path, and where she sees Mind Wide Open and her advocacy work going in the future.
Photo credit: Paul Hernandez
