Ending the Stigma
Since my diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder in July of 2010 it has come to light just how outcast the mentally ill are. You would think in this day an age it wouldn't be the case, but it definitely is. You wouldn't think there would be such judgement within the mental health community but there is. And the people that you count on the most want desperately to understand what's going on with you, but how can you make them understand when you can't fully explain it yourself? It leads to frustration and isolation that doesn't have to exist.
In such an advanced age of medicine and science it seems that understanding these things should come more easily. Advances are made in almost every area of medicine but mental health seems to fall short every time. The public awareness campaigns for breast cancer and other diseases seem to be so great, but yet mental illness that affects 42.5 million Americans every year (Source: Newsweek) gets the short end of the stick.
I did a search and found many organizations whose soul purpose is to try to end the stigma of mental illness. BringChange2Mind, NAMI, and many more are all organizations that pledge to end the stigma of mental illness, but it seems to be so unheard of. You can go on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media outlet and see things like the word bipolar used in such a negative way. "Dude, you are so bipolar." While innocent enough, to someone with the disease these things have a horrible impact.
Where does that leave us? I'm not quite sure and I suppose if I had all the answers I'd already be doing something about it. So the next time someone you meet finally opens up to you and says the have X, Y, or Z try not to make your disgust too obvious (and some of you do). Try to listen with an open heart. Try not to ask if we are "on our meds" like that magicallly makes everything better. Maybe try seeing what we are feeling, that every day is a battle and every day that we are still here is a victory.
In such an advanced age of medicine and science it seems that understanding these things should come more easily. Advances are made in almost every area of medicine but mental health seems to fall short every time. The public awareness campaigns for breast cancer and other diseases seem to be so great, but yet mental illness that affects 42.5 million Americans every year (Source: Newsweek) gets the short end of the stick.
I did a search and found many organizations whose soul purpose is to try to end the stigma of mental illness. BringChange2Mind, NAMI, and many more are all organizations that pledge to end the stigma of mental illness, but it seems to be so unheard of. You can go on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media outlet and see things like the word bipolar used in such a negative way. "Dude, you are so bipolar." While innocent enough, to someone with the disease these things have a horrible impact.
Where does that leave us? I'm not quite sure and I suppose if I had all the answers I'd already be doing something about it. So the next time someone you meet finally opens up to you and says the have X, Y, or Z try not to make your disgust too obvious (and some of you do). Try to listen with an open heart. Try not to ask if we are "on our meds" like that magicallly makes everything better. Maybe try seeing what we are feeling, that every day is a battle and every day that we are still here is a victory.
Comments
Post a Comment