Mental Illness & Stigma

The more we learn and understand about things the less afraid of them we feel. So here is some information I would like to share with you. I have had mental illness most of my life and I am now teaching what I have learned to others. sometimes just talking with someone can help us and sometimes we need medication. Other illnesses like diabetics can sometimes be controlled with diet and sometimes you need meds. An illness of any kind is NOT a sign of weakness! It does not mean you are not intelligent. In MANY cases it is a chemical imbalance in the brain and that's how meds can help. Even if mental illness doesn't affect you directly, the chances are that it affects someone you know or care about, so read on.

Each of us needs proper information to put mental illness in a correct perspective. This is because there is a lot of misconception and misinformation in our society about mental illness. For at least three thousand years as the records tell us, patients with psychotic illness were feared, therefore tortured and chained so others could live safely. Compared to that we sure have come a long way. Today, mentally ill receive a treatment that is far more humane. A person who has a an emotional-or a mental disorder is not crazy. In fact it is the theory that is crazy. This misconception prevents families and individuals from taking help. Here right in front of their eyes they witness the symptoms of phobias, panic, or depression disabling them but they would refuse to go to a professional . They think, "Why should I? am not crazy!" The fact is that mental or emotional disorders affect millions and millions of people. When we have a mental or an emotional disorder we need others' understanding , support, and care just as we do when we have a physical illness.

Mental illnesses is highly treatable. Psychological therapies, on average, take about six hourly meetings. Note that about eighty percent of people feel better with just six hours of treatment! It is patently false that "once mentally ill always mentally ill" No, it doesn't take years of treatment to feel better, in most of the cases. Vijai P. Sharma, Ph.D According to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), 23% of USA adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder every year, defined as "conditions characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior or some combination of them associated with distress and/or impaired functioning." Half report impairment of daily functioning due to their disorder, and the NAMI says 5.4% of adult mental illnesses are "serious." But because of the stigma associated with mental illness, "many do not seek or find the help they need," says psychologist Kita S. Curry, executive director at the Hirsch Center. "In fact, one survey found that a worker was more likely to tell their boss they were involved in a petty crime than to explain they had a mental illness." It is vital that people with mental illness feel cared for, respected, and listened to," concludes Phillips. "It is essential that people with mental illness be seen as human beings who are much more than the illnesses with which they struggle."

These are some of the powerful ways in which we begin to erase the needless stigma of mental illness Stigma is a prejudice, just as racial prejudice is. Prejudice is nothing but fear. Fear is based on ignorance. Out of ignorance, some understandably feel that the mentally ill are different from them-a totally different breed. Shed your prejudice and your fear. Remove the stigma. The best way to end this fear is to educate yourself on this and share what you have learned with others. We are all Children of God and loved and special! You are not alone! We are here for you, if we can help please e-mail us at childofgodwebring@comcast.net

Google Search