Posted by Mark H. on November 14, 2000, at 17:35:12
In reply to Re: Mark's comments, posted by Kaarina on November 11, 2000, at 13:35:41
Dear John and Kaarina,
Thank you for your comments, which offered me additional perspective. I've accepted the label of "mental illness" without stigma, so I forget how it was for me in the beginning, when I paid my psychiatrist in cash to avoid leaving a paper trail! I can laugh at myself now, but I do remember how scared I felt at the time that someone would find out I was having "mental difficulties."
There should be no more "shame" or stigma attached to mental illness than there is to having the flu or needing an operation. However, I realize that insurance companies, Congress and the general public have not yet reached that level of acceptance.
Not too many centuries ago, people were persecuted for any form of mental illness, for birth defects, for epilepsy, for all sorts of conditions over which they had no power or choice.
The idea of allowing that these differences were illnesses rather than moral defects, character weaknesses, or evidence of possession by evil spirits, was relatively enlightened. I still hold to the compassion implied by labeling those experiences "illnesses" rather than some sort of personal flaw.
Insurance companies and Congress, in particular, will only be swayed when enough people overcome their embarrassment of talking about "mental illness" as an ordinary thing, and insist that it be treated no differently than any other disease, ailment or complaint.
We still see otherwise educated people on television refer to schizophrenia as having a split or "double" personality -- such basic ignorance! We still see people making the foolish assumption that being "mentally ill" means that one is automatically incompetent.
Thank you again for your comments, which are good reminders that daily hundreds of thousands of people with mental illnesses suffer unnecessary additional problems because of ignorance and stereotypes.
Best wishes,
Mark H.
poster:Mark H.
thread:47722
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001102/msgs/48810.html