Posted by WorryGirl on April 10, 2003, at 13:37:45
In reply to help with the stigma, posted by mambo on April 10, 2003, at 6:04:37
Mambo,
Yes, I understand and feel the stigma. I haven't kept in touch with most people I went to school with, but I didn't have many friends anyway. The stigma I feel is that others sense something is wrong with me, often before I have even opened my mouth. I feel devalidated as a person. Fortunately, there are enough people out there who are either open-minded and understanding or have been through mental illness themselves that we don't have to be alone.
I imagine it would be worse if you had known these people for many years, then they see the change in you and don't respond well to it. Since I have known the stigma almost my entire life I experience it differently, but it always hurts.
poster:WorryGirl
thread:218105
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030407/msgs/218235.html