mental illness awareness week - stigma and discrimination
let me first say that this is by no means going to be a complete look at mental illness and mental health. i am not a professional in any related field, however i am a longtime consumer so i've learned a thing or two in my travels. please do not use this as a diagnostic tool or take anything i say as law. i am human, i have been known to be wrong. if you believe you are experiencing a mental illness, please talk to your doctor. if you are in crisis, please contact a crisis line or get to the nearest emergency room. i can take no responsibility for people's actions resulting from what i am saying. this is a private journal and only expresses my thoughts and ideas. for all intents and purposes, i will be using definitions as they are in diagnostic and statisical manual, 4th edition, text revision (DSM IV-TR).
ah the stigma of mental illness. as much as others do it to us, we do it to ourselves too. even with self-sabotage, slowly but surely the stigma is being chipped away.
what is stigma?
Stig"ma\, n.; pl. E. Stigmas, L. Stigmata. [L., a mark, a brand, from Gr. ?, ?, the prick or mark of a pointed instrument, a spot, mark, from ? to prick, to brand. See Stick, v. t.]
1. A mark made with a burning iron; a brand.
2. Any mark of infamy or disgrace; sign of moral blemish; stain or reproach caused by dishonorable conduct; reproachful characterization.
The blackest stigma that can be fastened upon him. --Bp. Hall.
All such slaughters were from thence called Bartelmies, simply in a perpetual stigma of that butchery. --Sir G. Buck.
3. (Bot.) That part of a pistil which has no epidermis, and is fitted to receive the pollen. It is usually the terminal portion, and is commonly somewhat glutinous or viscid. See Illust. of Stamen and of Flower.
4. (Anat.) A small spot, mark, scar, or a minute hole; -- applied especially to a spot on the outer surface of a Graafian follicle, and to spots of intercellular substance in scaly epithelium, or to minute holes in such spots.
5. (Pathol.) A red speck upon the skin, produced either by the extravasation of blood, as in the bloody sweat characteristic of certain varieties of religious ecstasy, or by capillary congestion, as in the case of drunkards.
6. (Zo["o]l.) (a) One of the external openings of the trache[ae] of insects, myriapods, and other arthropods; a spiracle. (b) One of the apertures of the pulmonary sacs of arachnids. See Illust. of Scorpion. (c) One of the apertures of the gill of an ascidian, and of Amphioxus.
7. (Geom.) A point so connected by any law whatever with another point, called an index, that as the index moves in any manner in a plane the first point or stigma moves in a determinate way in the same plane.
8. pl. (R. C. Ch.) Marks believed to have been supernaturally impressed upon the bodies of certain persons in imitation of the wounds on the crucified body of Christ. See def. 5, above.
tl;dr: any mark of infamy or disgrace; a sign of moral blemish; stain or reproach caused by dishonorable conduct; reproachful characterization.
it's the look i see in people's eyes when i tell them that i have mental illnesses. it's what people think when they see someone walking down the street talking to themselves. it's every employer that doesn't promote someone because of what they think the person can handle after the employee has disclosed. it's everyone that won't date you because you're nuts. it's the mirror we hold up when we call ourselves crazy and mean it.
in a nutshell, stigma fucking sucks.
i'll bet every one of you, mentally ill or not, has a story about stigma.
i sure as hell have a pocketful.
i'm not going to talk about that though. we all know how it feels when someone stigmatizes us, right? it doesn't just hurt on the surface, though, it does way more insidious stuff.
- it makes us less likely to ask for help. why would anyone ask for help when they're so ashamed to be like that in the first place?
- it imprisons us and makes us less able to help ourselves. if you're always told that you're not going to get better, or that you're as good as you'll get, why would you bother trying for more?
stigma. it's such a dirty word.
the more stigma we face, the more we identify with the illness and don't seek other things to call ourselves. my therapist pointed out once that i'm at my best when i'm under fire. it makes me stand up and yell, even though days before i would have been languishing in the illness. unfortunately, others aren't so lucky. if someone tells them they can't do something because they are their illness they just agree. i've been there, and you know what? that's total bullshit.
sure, i've got mental illness. i've also got a huge heart for others, i'm a caring pet owner and i'm a professional materials planner. SO, not only have i proven that i have other hats that i wear besides obsessive-compulsive, i've turned my "knack" for organizing shit into a career. there are many, many other things i can do besides being mentally ill. i'll show you my elbow trick sometime if you ask nicely.........
seriously though. every time someone stigmatizes us, or we do it to ourselves, another hat gets removed.
do me a favour? next time you think "well, i can't do that because i'm *insert derogatory term of choice*" immediately correct yourself and say "but what i -can- do is *insert fabulous thing about yourself*"
quit discriminating against yourself and you're not going to see as much around you. the bonus is, it will also prepare you for the dicks that try to do that to you later. the more you do it, the easier it gets. i promise.
now, tell me what you -can- do. don't be shy.
ah the stigma of mental illness. as much as others do it to us, we do it to ourselves too. even with self-sabotage, slowly but surely the stigma is being chipped away.
what is stigma?
Stig"ma\, n.; pl. E. Stigmas, L. Stigmata. [L., a mark, a brand, from Gr. ?, ?, the prick or mark of a pointed instrument, a spot, mark, from ? to prick, to brand. See Stick, v. t.]
1. A mark made with a burning iron; a brand.
2. Any mark of infamy or disgrace; sign of moral blemish; stain or reproach caused by dishonorable conduct; reproachful characterization.
The blackest stigma that can be fastened upon him. --Bp. Hall.
All such slaughters were from thence called Bartelmies, simply in a perpetual stigma of that butchery. --Sir G. Buck.
3. (Bot.) That part of a pistil which has no epidermis, and is fitted to receive the pollen. It is usually the terminal portion, and is commonly somewhat glutinous or viscid. See Illust. of Stamen and of Flower.
4. (Anat.) A small spot, mark, scar, or a minute hole; -- applied especially to a spot on the outer surface of a Graafian follicle, and to spots of intercellular substance in scaly epithelium, or to minute holes in such spots.
5. (Pathol.) A red speck upon the skin, produced either by the extravasation of blood, as in the bloody sweat characteristic of certain varieties of religious ecstasy, or by capillary congestion, as in the case of drunkards.
6. (Zo["o]l.) (a) One of the external openings of the trache[ae] of insects, myriapods, and other arthropods; a spiracle. (b) One of the apertures of the pulmonary sacs of arachnids. See Illust. of Scorpion. (c) One of the apertures of the gill of an ascidian, and of Amphioxus.
7. (Geom.) A point so connected by any law whatever with another point, called an index, that as the index moves in any manner in a plane the first point or stigma moves in a determinate way in the same plane.
8. pl. (R. C. Ch.) Marks believed to have been supernaturally impressed upon the bodies of certain persons in imitation of the wounds on the crucified body of Christ. See def. 5, above.
tl;dr: any mark of infamy or disgrace; a sign of moral blemish; stain or reproach caused by dishonorable conduct; reproachful characterization.
it's the look i see in people's eyes when i tell them that i have mental illnesses. it's what people think when they see someone walking down the street talking to themselves. it's every employer that doesn't promote someone because of what they think the person can handle after the employee has disclosed. it's everyone that won't date you because you're nuts. it's the mirror we hold up when we call ourselves crazy and mean it.
in a nutshell, stigma fucking sucks.
i'll bet every one of you, mentally ill or not, has a story about stigma.
i sure as hell have a pocketful.
i'm not going to talk about that though. we all know how it feels when someone stigmatizes us, right? it doesn't just hurt on the surface, though, it does way more insidious stuff.
- it makes us less likely to ask for help. why would anyone ask for help when they're so ashamed to be like that in the first place?
- it imprisons us and makes us less able to help ourselves. if you're always told that you're not going to get better, or that you're as good as you'll get, why would you bother trying for more?
stigma. it's such a dirty word.
the more stigma we face, the more we identify with the illness and don't seek other things to call ourselves. my therapist pointed out once that i'm at my best when i'm under fire. it makes me stand up and yell, even though days before i would have been languishing in the illness. unfortunately, others aren't so lucky. if someone tells them they can't do something because they are their illness they just agree. i've been there, and you know what? that's total bullshit.
sure, i've got mental illness. i've also got a huge heart for others, i'm a caring pet owner and i'm a professional materials planner. SO, not only have i proven that i have other hats that i wear besides obsessive-compulsive, i've turned my "knack" for organizing shit into a career. there are many, many other things i can do besides being mentally ill. i'll show you my elbow trick sometime if you ask nicely.........
seriously though. every time someone stigmatizes us, or we do it to ourselves, another hat gets removed.
do me a favour? next time you think "well, i can't do that because i'm *insert derogatory term of choice*" immediately correct yourself and say "but what i -can- do is *insert fabulous thing about yourself*"
quit discriminating against yourself and you're not going to see as much around you. the bonus is, it will also prepare you for the dicks that try to do that to you later. the more you do it, the easier it gets. i promise.
now, tell me what you -can- do. don't be shy.