Month: September 2016
What is Stigma?
Fantastic article from the Government of Western Australia Western Health Commission regarding the devastating effect of stigma:
Three out of four people with a mental illness report that they have experienced stigma.
Stigma brings experiences and feelings of:
- shame
- blame
- hopelessness
- distress
- misrepresentation in the media
- reluctance to seek and/or accept necessary help
Read the full article here.
Check Engine Light
Having a mental illness is like trying to fix a car while you are driving it: you can’t pull off the road, nor can you ignore the “check engine” light indefinitely. So you have to keep one eye on the road to ensure you don’t hit a tree, and the other eye focused on fixing the problem so the car continues to run and, hopefully, runs better.
So why do people with mental illness spend so much time thinking about their disorders? We are simultaneously trying to keep the care moving safely while trying to keep the engine from failing.
The most interesting man in the world
Stigma of mental illness and ways of diminishing it
This article is a must read. It includes important information regarding stigma, stereotypes, the process of stigmatization, stigma management, and stresses the importance of patients’ social network support.
“For me stigma means fear, resulting in a lack of confidence. Stigma is loss, resulting in unresolved mourning issues. Stigma is not having access to resources… Stigma is being invisible or being reviled, resulting in conflict. Stigma is lowered family esteem and intense shame, resulting in decreased self-worth. Stigma is secrecy… Stigma is anger, resulting in distance. Most importantly, stigma is hopelessness, resulting in helplessness.”
Full article here.
Throwback Thursday….
Why Mental Illness Is Lethal
Interesting article from the NAMI website:
Allow me to clear up any confusion: [Mental Illness] is real. And it carries very real consequences if we do not recognize it. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people 25-34 years of age. It is the third leading cause of death for people 15-24 years old. That is far too significant a number for us to ignore.
Read the full article here.
Mental Illness & Stigma
stig·ma
noun.
-
a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.
Stigma is the biggest problem facing the mentally ill today. Stigma is the reason people don’t come forward to get help, it is the reason the people do not follow through with treatment plans, it is the reason insurance companies don’t want to pay for services, it is the reason for the shortage of professionals in behavioral medicine, and it is the reason legislators continue to cut funding for badly needed resources.
Stigma means that people believe the face of mental illness is a wide-eyed, drooling psychopath that is a danger to society.
Not true. The face of mental illness looks like your spouse, your significant other, your child, your parent, your sibling, your coworker, your neighbor, your classmate, your family member, and your fellow church-goer. We are everywhere, hiding in plain sight – many too afraid to reach out for desperately needed help. Too many suffer in hopeless, painful silence.
Can you imagine getting sick and being afraid to seek medical help? Can you imagine being afraid to tell your family about your illness because you fear they may ostracize you. Or worse, not believe you? Can you imagine becoming ill and those in your life try to persuade you not to take your medicine? Can you imagine keep your illness a secret because you worry people will be afraid of you? Can you imagine being ashamed of your illness? Can you imagine being told that the illness is your fault?
This is the devastating effect of stigma. And this is why it has to stop. Now.
My therapist made me do it….
No, really. She did.
I believe is my mission in life is to break stigmas associated with mental illness: both the afflicted, and also those who care for the afflicted.
She thought this was a great way to start.
Stigma*Smash 