What can you do when the stigma surrounding mental health affects relationships?

On Thursday, May 9, Houston Matters will talk with Emmy award-winning actor Joe Pantoliano (aka “Joey Pants”) – about his life and career. He’s visiting Houston to speak at a Menninger Clinic event about his mental health journey. Pantoliano was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2008 and has since founded a nonprofit dedicated to changing how people think and talk about mental health.

We’ve had many conversations on Houston Matters over the years that have delved into mental health, and nearly every time, the conversation rolls around to a word: stigma.

Even as we’re more aware and open about mental health challenges, and professionals who treat it talk about how we should think about it the same way we think of physical health, many people still don’t. Not to mention, those who are open about their mental health challenge still encounter that stigma, socially and professionally.

In the audio above, we discuss how common a problem mental health stigma is, whether it varies from one person or situation to the next, and what, if anything, can be done about it with Houston area psychologists Dr. Michael Winters and Dr. Rheeda Walker, who’s also a University of Houston professor and the author of The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health.