Panacea has the goal of initiating open conversations and reducing stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. To do so, Michelle teaches 'mental health 101' and shares some of her own experiences living with mental illness.

The positive impact that mental health literacy can have in your own life, and for the people around you, is what drives her. If her words can inspire empathy and change at least one person's perspective or make someone feel less alone, then she has done her job. Join us for some fun tunes and vulnerable conversations!

Every 4th and 5th Thursday of the month, 2 - 3pm (EST)

September 26, 2024: Social Categorization: Dehumanization

In this segment we talk about the social categorization process and how that leads to stereotype activation and stereotype application. This is a pretty automatic cognitive process that allows us to sort through all the noise/stimuli in our environment and learn about individuals. However, this process can become damaging when social categories and the stereotypes we hold are negative, not true to the individual, or take away from our curiosity to learn about others. Dehumanization is when we perceive individuals to be lacking the mental or physical capacities of regular human beings; seeing someone as less than human. It is a downstream consequence of the social categorization process and is often used to justify acts of violence, discrimination, and prejudice towards members of other social groups. Disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional and what I say may not apply to everyone. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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