The stigma of mental illness

[Tinster]

I saw this article this morning. This article is a good
read for everyone. Including members of BCF. I hope this
topic is not too controversial.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/glenn-close/mental-illness-the-stigma_b_328591.html

Speaking from experience, most of my friends surrounded me
with support, understanding and love when I got out of the
mental hospital. Other "friends" dropped my like I was a child rapist;
won't talk to me; won't answer e-mails, etc.

Mental illness is not an evil, it is a disease or illness that effects
the brain. Like poison ivy effects the skin and MI can be cured.

Some call me crazy; my Shrink calls me eccentric within normal boundries.

Dale(Tinster)

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/glenn-close/mental-illness-the-stigma_b_328591.html

 

[BabaKahawa]

The article was right " more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation".
Nice read.... hope all is well.

 

[Tinster]

Yup Baba!

Part of my initial therapy was to be 100% honest with my
friends and not to try to pretend I was "away on business".
I was told to tell my friends exactly what I did to myself and
the horror I put my dear wife through. A few friends were notified
when I was in the emergency room, hooked up to machine. Some now
avoid me, most we still have good fun talks, e-mails and facebook.

Yeah, much more candor and public understanding needed by all.

Docs says as long as I am spending quality time with my wife,
tinkering with my TR6, going fishing and taking my Meds -
I'll remain eccentric. LOL fine by me.

Dale(Tinster)

 

[TR6oldtimer]

I retired four or so years ago from a public health organization that among other things, dealt with mental illness. Even when surrounded by psychiatrists and psychologists, I noted people with mental issues were not confronted. I could send a person with the flu home or to the doctor, but I could not tell a co-worker or subordinate to seek mental health care.

The stigma remains.

 

[Basil]

My wife and I are both volunteers for NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) and I am the coordinator for their "Family-to-Family" 12-week class for New Mexico. It is for family members of those with mental illness. One of the key things we teach about is the stigma associated with mental illness. People (unfaily and mainly due to ignorance of the facts) tend to not view brain disorders as "real" illness, yet they are just as real as any other desease - it's just that the organ affected happens to be the brain (which affects mood and behavior) and not the liver.

I am currently teaching a class at the local VA for families of service members with mental illness and in January we will be starting a course for families of kids at the Country Youth Detention Center because about 1/3 of the kids in the youth detention system are suffering from some form of mental illness.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

What troubles me most is the number of affected folks on the streets. I see several each week here at the church, looking for assistance. We can only do so much, and it's not even a band-aid for their problems. Unfortunately, even the charities - especially the charities - are strapped these days.

Most of us don't realize how many homeless people have deep-seated mental illnesses.

From the U.S. Dep't. of Health and Human Services:

"As many as 700,000 Americans are homeless on any given night. An estimated 20 to 25 percent of these people have a serious mental illness, and one-half of this subgroup also have an alcohol and/or drug problem. Minorities, especially African Americans, are over-represented among homeless persons with mental illness."

Dale, and Basil, keep the word out there. We can never do enough. Education is the beginning.

 

[JamesWilson]

Some call me crazy; my Shrink calls me eccentric within normal boundries.

Ha!

I'm normal within eccentric boundaries....

What could be more sane?

 

[Basil]

What troubles me most is the number of affected folks on the streets. I see several each week here at the church, looking for assistance.

Tell them or their families about NAMI. Not sure if there is an office in your town, but here's a link to Tennessee NAMI affiliates.

NAMI helps those with illness find the resources they need and support they need (peer groups, etc) and helps the families understand the illnesses, the system, where to find resourcces, etc.

 

[Silverghost]

my friends surrounded me
with support, understanding and love when I got out of the
mental hospital. Other "friends" dropped my like I was a child rapist;
won't talk to me; won't answer e-mails

The same thing happened to my wife during her breast cancer treatment. I think the unknown and the unseen scares people at a core level. Neither cancer nor mental illness is "catchable" - except in the case of parents, they get it from their kids! An amputation, severe burns, paralysis from a major trauma people can deal with - I think - because they "know" that is not likely to happen to them. Cancer - and mental illness COULD happen and there is little to nothing to stop it from happening if it does. Perhaps it is because the majority of us can't face our own mortality?

 

[Sherlock]

I appreciate your honesty Dale... That takes guts

I spend a lot of time downtown people... One of my friends downtown struggles with mental illness (I'm not sure which one), he has been in and out of homelessness for the last two years, just recently losing his apartment, once again finding himself homeless with the approach of winter, I do worry about him, but there is very little I can do to help him except to just simply keep listening to him...

 

[AngliaGT]

That's the sad part about cutting a lot of Federal-
funded programs - a lot of people being treated are sent
out to the streets.
I work in Arcata,Cailfornia.They encourage the homeless
to emigrate here.I get very frustrated with the people who
want the taxpayers to support them vs. the people who are
having problems like this,but don't always expect (or want to-
accept) help.
I'm not a normal person,but I understand that.If I joke
about things like this,I'm sorry,but it's just my weird sense of
humour.

- Doug

 

[PAUL161]

I've been told at times that I should be contained. (I have 4 sisters)!! I never could figure out why they would say that?? I believe, like others, the one thing that can really drive you crazy, is trying to figure out if it's them or me! Of course, they use to to lie a lot.

 

[tony barnhill]

Sadly, many are veterans who just aren't aware of the benefits they're qualified for.

 

[Basil]

Sadly, many are veterans who just aren't aware of the benefits they're qualified for.

as it happens, the class I'm teaching now is at our local VA hospital

 

[tony barnhill]

I've helped several vets put in claims & receive compensation for some of their medical problems...almost everything except mental illness.....but, most of them were serious PTSD candidates.