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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by rainbowbrite on May 11, 2005, at 18:30:45
how do people deal with comments made by people close to you about mental illness? I am referring to ones that are really obnoxious and ignorant?
I dont think people think I have a 'diagnosis' so I may just get depressed or something but nothing major, I am assuming and any anxiety I may experience is not known to others or it is seen as me being hyper. if that makes sense??
So I often will hear comments made that are so rude or just annoying. I mentioned to someone recently that a certain celebrity had an anxiety disorder...well the response back was OMG no way...she seems so normal.... basiclly i hear stuff like that alot. I always say something ...like that is actually very 'normal' and common but people dont get it!! Do we just give up, I am sick of feeling like there is something so terribly wrong with me for having to take medication for depression and having to hide it!! Am I alone with this or do others have these experiences?
Posted by alexandra_k on May 11, 2005, at 18:42:20
In reply to mental illness stigma, posted by rainbowbrite on May 11, 2005, at 18:30:45
We have a TV add campaign.
1 in 4 people experience mental illness at some point in their lives.
There will be a famous person in the campaign.
A Kiwi musician
sportsman
buisnessman
poet
Something like that.'Know me before you judge me'
Is the slogan.
I think it helps.
I think it helps the public's perception.
IMO the worst stigma I have encountered is from clinicians... But best not get me started on that ;-)
Posted by JenStar on May 11, 2005, at 19:31:10
In reply to mental illness stigma, posted by rainbowbrite on May 11, 2005, at 18:30:45
I think there is a stigma. The "lucky" ones who never were faced with depression /anxiety /other issues are possibly just talking from an "oh my god thank the lord I don't have that" attitude. It's the same attitude that some thin people take towards overweight people - a kind of holier than thou condecension, as if fat people enjoy being fat and deserve it through some lack of moral character.
And I think some other people are protesting too much. Maybe they suspect that they or someone they love has a mental illness, but they don't want to believe it or face it, and the way to "make it go away" or to conquer it is to make fun of it, in their mind.
I think most of it is ignorance. My doctor told me I'd be surprised if I knew how many people are on anti-depressants or other meds for mental issues. She said it's common and we should not feel bad about it. If someone has cancer, they get chemo. If you have diabetes, you need insulin shots. Mental problems, in her opinion, are the same.
Of course it's easy for her to talk about it like that. But there's no stigma HERE. At least here people understand and empathize!
How many people have you told?
JenStar
Posted by JenStar on May 11, 2005, at 19:34:03
In reply to mental illness stigma, posted by rainbowbrite on May 11, 2005, at 18:30:45
I think your approach is good - to tell them that it's normal, that many people suffer from depression or other issues, and it doesn't mean you're less of a person or less 'normal.' Showing quiet and gentle support, I think, is the best way to help show others that it is actually OK and normal to admit to having a mental illness.
But I wouldn't necessarly trust someone who makes comments like that. They might not keep your medical issues in confidence. If they think it's "exciting" and "weird" to have a mental illness, they might blab and hurt you. I'm pretty careful whom I tell about issues & meds. There's a handful of people I trust, and others that I don't tell.
JenStar
Posted by Phil on May 11, 2005, at 20:17:32
In reply to Re: mental illness stigma » rainbowbrite, posted by JenStar on May 11, 2005, at 19:34:03
I love the people that say, 'you don't need to take that sh*t.' They don't realize that I'm functional because I do take medication. Duh!
Having a mental illness can be a gift in that it allows us to empathize with others who suffer from afflictions we may not fully understand. In other words, we become better people through suffering.
It doesn't mean we have to suffer fools gladly though.
Posted by rainbowbrite on May 11, 2005, at 20:23:58
In reply to Re: mental illness stigma » rainbowbrite, posted by alexandra_k on May 11, 2005, at 18:42:20
that sounds good, you know Im not even sure if I have seen anything like that on TV or not, probably not. That would be helpful though. They do put stuff on TV, I remember hearing about cnn recently and a depression special but it still sucks how ignorant people are.
Posted by Gabbi-x-2 on May 11, 2005, at 21:17:28
In reply to Re: mental illness stigma » rainbowbrite, posted by alexandra_k on May 11, 2005, at 18:42:20
the worst stigma I have encountered is from clinicians... But best not get me started on that ;-)
Say that louder please.
A resounding yes, by far the most hurtful, the most life affecting treatment I have recieved because I am on psychiatric medication is from other Doctors. Doctors who refuse to take my physical complaints seriously, who have accused me of being delusional when I had a serious infection. It didn't look bad on the surface, so he refused-refused to look further. A specialist on the same topic accused me of "wasting his time" and seeing "little green aliens too".
By the time I found a *real* Dr. I was so ill that my lymph glands were so overloaded they were infected too.
Not that it should matter, but never have I been diagnosed with having hallucinations or delusions. It's depression/anxiety.There.. sorry for the rant, but you brought up a good point Alexandra.
Posted by rainbowbrite on May 11, 2005, at 21:53:01
In reply to Re: mental illness stigma » rainbowbrite, posted by JenStar on May 11, 2005, at 19:31:10
How many people have you told?
-- possibly the entire world wide web LOL but I hope not hehe.
Seriouly though I am just as bad as everyone else when I think about it. In a differnet way. I detach myself from mental illness and pretend to be oblivious to it, yet at the same time defend it. A select number of friends know and my immediate family knows about me, but I dont think they understand it at all. Its like I was 'sick' and now Im cured. God forbid i ever get 'sick' again! that is part of what angers me so much. But less know I take medication.
I must admit i have seen improvement over time and I do hear about more and more distant people having illnesses. And I have also heard people try to understand someones' behavior as a mental illness as opposed to being 'strange' so that is improvement, but still it has a long way to go.
Posted by rainbowbrite on May 11, 2005, at 21:57:39
In reply to Re: mental illness stigma, posted by Phil on May 11, 2005, at 20:17:32
>I love the people that say, 'you don't need to take that sh*t.' They don't realize that I'm functional because I do take medication. Duh!
Oh I know!! and that psych drugs are just as bad as street drugs!! GRrrr so irritating.
>Having a mental illness can be a gift in that it allows us to empathize with others who suffer from afflictions we may not fully understand. In other words, we become better people through suffering.
Yes, I totally agree with that!
Posted by alexandra_k on May 12, 2005, at 4:36:09
In reply to Re: mental illness stigma » alexandra_k, posted by Gabbi-x-2 on May 11, 2005, at 21:17:28
Hmm.
I wasn't thinking GP's.
But I understand why you are hacked off about what happened to you over there.
I find GP's are okay.
It is psychiatrists and psychologists who are the worst...
Posted by alexandra_k on May 12, 2005, at 4:39:06
In reply to Re: mental illness stigma » Gabbi-x-2, posted by alexandra_k on May 12, 2005, at 4:36:09
Depending on what you have been diagnosed with, of course.
But they used to make a lot of assumptions about me and react with genuine suprise when they discovered that I didn't do that.
They judged me on the basis of my dx.
They made assumptions about me on the basis of my dx.
They assumed and didn't bother to assess
And I had to push sh*t uphill for a very long time in an attempt to overcome that...And now...
When someone does manage to overcome it.
Oops.
They mis-diagnosed me.The irony.
And dx was supposed to help me how?
What a load of bollocks
Posted by TamaraJ on May 12, 2005, at 17:14:43
In reply to mental illness stigma, posted by rainbowbrite on May 11, 2005, at 18:30:45
I think that there is a better understanding of depression and anxiety disorders than there used to be, but that there still exists narrow-mindedness and ignorance about things like schizophrenia, etc. In the province where I live, the Lieutenant Governor of the Province (a high-profile position) is someone who has suffered from recurrent major depressive episodes his entire life, and he has become an ardent mental health advocate in the province. He has been very open and honest about his mental illness, even when he held senior positions in the foreign service respresenting Canada as Ambassador or High Commissioner in other countries. He also talks openly about his upbringing and his mother's sruggle with bipolar disorder. He does acknowledge, however, that some of his colleagues and others were not always comfortable with his openness. Since his becoming Lieutenant Governor of the province, I have noticed public service ads on the t.v. where a number of average Canadians say something like "I am one" and at the end an announcer says something like these people have a mental illness. I work with a number of people who are on medication for recurring depression or an anxiety disorder, and those of us at the office who do take medication don't hide it. That being said, I think we know who in the office we can talk openly about our struggles. Nevertheless, it is true that there are still narrow-minded and judgemental people who have a distorted image of those who have mental illnesses, and much work remains to be done to educate the public about mental illnesses.
Tamara
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