On Fighting Stigma

Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:15 am

What is the best way to fight stigma?

There are some who are diagnosed with mental illness who kill people.

There are some people who are diagnosed who kill themselves.

There are some people who are diagnosed who join huge groups and protest unfair treatment toward the mentally ill. They shout out to society, and they shout out loud. THIS IS NOT FAIR!!!!!!

There are some who are diagnosed who believe in a quiet movement toward recovery. That recovery is possible. So, they send a message to others like themselves. They try to inspire hope.

All of us diagnosed people understand what it is like to be "crazy" "insane" "mad" and so on.

In the end, who will society see? Are we all crying for help? Will money bail us out? Where will the money come from? Society? The Undiagnosed?

Who will society see? The quiet ones? The ones who kill? Quiet doesn't make headlines! All we can do is keep sending the message the best we know how. Violent people do not represent the majority of the diagnosed. We all know that. So why is it that our funding gets cut, or that we are broke financially most of the time? How can we be represented as a part of the world, part of this society, part of the human race if we do harm to ourselves or others? When a diagnosed person does harm to someone else or himself or herself, they take us ALL down, whether we like it or not. Society just might say, "No more funding for THOSE kind of people! They killed MY kind.

I am Human first. Not "diagnosed". Not separated from the rest of the world...society. But whose face will be seen in the papers? I can promise it won't be mine!

I believe in recovery. I believe in hope. I believe in peace. And I am not alone!!!

Peace and enjoy the day,
Leah

Joined: 26 Nov 2008 Posts: 68

I don't know about others, but I share. I share my diagnosis with people if the time seems right, they need to know, I need them to know, or it just seems to appear in a conversation. For me that happens more often than for others because my husband works at the Mental Health Center. He is the maintenance supervisor, but when someone asks where he works, lots of questions can follow. If I trust the person, and conversation leads there, I tell.

I do this for a few reasons. I'm married with 2 kids and 2 dogs. I have a full-time job at a fairly high level in my organization. I coach soccer and basketball. I'm involved in my kids lives. Let's face it - on the outside, I'm a poster for "Normal". By me telling, I think that people can see that all mentally ill people are not running down the street naked trying to kill someone.

The other reason I tell is for my own safety. There are people in my office that can feel the shift in my moods. They caught me when I was in freefall. They needed to know what it was all about and that I appreciated their help, even if it didn't seem that way at the time.

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:57 am

Hi Polar Bear! I like your method too. You probably hear it a lot, "But you don't seem to have mental illness!" or "You seem normal to me!" A lot of people tell me that I seem to have it together, you know, "for a mentally ill person"! LOL Most people I tell suddenly become the experts and inform me that there must be some other explanation. That I don't have this or I don't have that! We learn to blend in over the years I suppose.

The first time I told someone I took care of, (I hope I'm not repeating myself), he said, "You're not going to run down the halls naked are you?" So much for trusting that he'd take it well! But he adjusted and we were pretty good friends. Mainly because I didn't have to keep it inside anymore. I was able to be open and honest. And I believe that that is part of recovery. It's coming to terms with our illness and not being ashamed of it.

Well, Polar Bear... YOU SEEM NORMAL TO ME!!!!!!!!! LOL

You're pretty cool! I'm glad you come here.

Hugs,
Leah