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The more people who talk about it the less stigma there is
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Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

cookclan by cookclan Young Parent(January 2007) (rank 10th)
This is something I really wanted to write about as Mental illness touches our lives in more ways than one....... My son has Bipolar disorder......and my foster sister has borderline personality disorder...... Did you know mental illness of some form affects alot of people?......The SANE website says:
  •  that
    about 1 in every 100 people will develop schizophrenia
  • 2 in every 100 develop bi polar disorder
  • about 25 in every 100 will experience some sort of mental health issue

Those are pretty big odds right.....A quarter of people will be affected by a mental health issue...... even more will have contact with some who has had  or does have......So why is there such a stigma in this day and age?

Here is a little I have come in contact with....... My son has lost quite a few friends because their parents feel that he is going to lead them down the garden path I suppose.....that he is dangerous to their children in some way or another because he has a mental illness....... I also tried to enrol him in a non conforming school...... He had  left school as he did not really fit into a normal school situation...... their reasoning behind not enrolling him in a flexi school was that they did not have the ability to cope with mental illness children......Well thats why I tried there because it was more flexible than a normal school......He is a great kid on his meds and you would not even know he has  bipolar........so now my son with an IQ of 145 is out of school.....because he does not fit into mould of the normal child......He has a mental illness..... He applied for a job and told them he had a mental illness......he did not get that job so he had to hide his illness for his next interview.....and the list can go on.......

Mental illness is something that will probably touch eveyones lives at one time or another and something that alot of families live with in silence for fear of judgement.........

This is what I would like to see......I think that parents should teach their children about mental illness..... Give them the information they need to know it exists and to not be afraid of people with it..... We are doing that with our children now..... I never really thought about it before my foster sister was diagnosed...... But then we had to and I thought to myself why have I not told my kids about this before.......

I am not saying you have to teach your kids all about mental illnesses and all the different ones they can come across etc..... What I am saying is teach them to accept people with a mental illness  as you do when you teach them about accepting the little bot in their class with glasses or the little girl with the cleft palette......

The stigma associated with Mental illness needs to be stopped and I think it can start  with us as parents teaching our kids to accept one more thing about life and what is out there............

Just my thoughts about something that is very close to us.....thanks for taking the time to read this.............

People with a mental illness have enough trouble with day to day life without also having to deal with the stigma attached to it.

Have a great day
Cheers
Angie
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redtubess
August 22nd | redtubess
Re: Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

a great article =)



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sandra106
August 13th | sandra106
Re: Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

This is an issue that I don't think the public realize just how common it is everyone knows someone that has some form of deppresion but don't know it for sure because most people feel embarressed and tend to hide this. I have a friend who has bipolar but was only diganosed 5 years ago but I always new even when we were in high school that she had some form of depression but not much was know about it or rather ignored in the late 70's. She however is very open about her bipolar and we discuss and bring things out in the open which is good sign for her that she is willing to share her experience. I am very proud of her and admire her strength. I saw her yesterday and I could see she wasn't happy so I said straight out tell me what's been happening and it only took her a few minuites to open up. She kept saying I'm sure you didn't come her to hear all this but I said I am here to listen so talk about it as much as you like. After a coffee and cake and 2 hours later it was good to see her smile occassionaly, but certainly will be checking in with her over the next few days to see how she is going.



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sandra106
December 2008 | sandra106
Re: Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

This is so true children need to be educated about this my friend has bipolar and was only digagnosed 5 years ago she has had this since we were in highschool and is now 44 but I always new there was sometthing different about here because she would go from being really happy to totally depressed and I never new how to help her. Now that she has been diagnosed she has to take medication and will let me know if she doesn't seem quiet right and will often say some times I may act a little different but I know you will understand. I am not saying I always no the right things to say but I am there for her. Great article I think it is a liitle more out in the open then 30 years ago but  there is still along way to go.



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learningwithlove
December 2008 | learningwithlove
Re: Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

 Well done Angie.  Great article.  I have bipolar disorder and most of my friends don't know.  I don't them to change how they behave around me, or see them looking at me through different eyes.  The reason I feel that way, is that when I was first mentally ill and reached out to my family (and hubby's) for support - to help out with the kids so I could try and get back on track, I suddenly turned into a hot potato.  It was as if I had metamorphised right before their eyes into someone who could be potentially be problematic or needy.

I can't blame them for how they feel, I believe that it is because they have been ingrained to see mental illness as something to be feared or a taboo.  It takes people out of their comfort zone, and they begin to treat you with kid gloves.  This isn't what anyone wants as part of a healthy relationship with family and friends.  

I have 4 kiddies under 8 (and an amazing, supportive husband) and whilst I don't go into particulars with them, they know that mummy sometimes isn't well and has to stay in hospital, that sometimes I get very sad for no reason and other times I have abundent energy and a thirst for fun.  They also know that I take medicine to help me and go see a "talking" doctor.  Above all, they know that I am a person and not a label for a disorder, who loves them completely.

If people would see mental illness as the medical condition it is  and remove the social stigma, more people would be upfront, get help when they need it, and save precious lives and the lives of people around them.

Lots of love for writing this story :)

Bec



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Ozniteowl
November 2008 | Ozniteowl
Re: Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

I am raising three foster teenagers. The youngest has a parent with mental illness and the middle one has a reactive attachment disorder. All of my children have social problems. I am glad you have written about the stigma of this issue as we have had to deal with the alienation, the horrible backstabbing and the cruelty towards our children because it can't be phisycally seen. I have even had to ask teachers if they would make someone get out of a wheelchair to play sport; they instantly reply no, and yet they look with bewilderment when I ask then why do they try to make my child do something he is not capable of doing or understanding because of his illness. It is frustrating and yes more people do need to know about these issues. Our Scout group is renowned for having an understanding of children of all walks of life and as so we have children come from a wide variety of areas to be in our group. We now cater for children with various levels of mental illness right through to downs syndrome. It has been beautiful watching the children without issues learn and become protective and understanding of those who have issues.



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bertababy
October 2008 | bertababy
Re: Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

hi my name is roberta i suffer from heritary bipolar disorder it's diagnosed my sister too my brother but he isnt diagnosed he's a drug addict i involve my children when i'm taking my medication which we all call happy pills and mum needs them and always will as the chemical imbalane i have got is not going to go away i see traits of my affliction in all my children so i am here for them i tell them why they are so upset i encourage them not to be angry but to reckonise when they are none of my children are on medicaion my own personal opinion is that if they learn to deal with their anger they are half way there i dont tolerate violence i have lived it for to long. i am winning the fight my childrens lives are so much more psyclogically better than mine far from perfect but so much better i look forward to the progress of my childrens children  



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fluff6
July 2008 | fluff6
Re: Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

Hi Angie, I have a son he is 14 and he goes to a special school only because he has social problems and he really needed more help with hes schooling, it took me a long time to send him to that school, becaus e didnt want him to have a stigma, but yr right us parents need to teach our children to take people the way they r, no one is the same and there is a lot of people out there with problems they hide away.  My father suffers from many sorts of phobias, i grew up with him and the issues he had and everyone thought he was crazy in a way, but now days its more known and people seem to understand more so hopefully as years go on people may understand more about mental illness, and hopefully give some compation to those that need it,  there  is no one perfect person in this world!   Good Luck. karen xxxxxxxxxx



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nabutters
July 2008 | nabutters
Re: Mental illness...Lets help put a stop to the Stigma

i have been suffering PND and i really loved this article.....fantastic..more ppl need to read.....

na xxxx



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lucky321
5.00 (Excellent) | February 2007 | lucky321
well done

 a great article ,  well put togther 



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bast
5.00 (Excellent) | February 2007 | bast
Very good article
Just have to say that your article was really well written and more peopel out there need to read it.Just being finding your way around the world is enough without having to compicate it with having a mental illness. I have a diagnoses of DID and yeh can be hard and challenging at times. But The most important thing I have found is having a good support network.And by the sounds of it you must be  great support  for sure. Take care of yourself as well as everyone knows take care of yourself make sure your ok then you will have the energy to help and to give back to other people.


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sunshineoz15
5.00 (Excellent) | February 2007 | sunshineoz15
Mentally Ill Mum

Brilliant article.

When I accidently fell pregnant with my son we actually considered terminating the pregnancy due to the severity of the mental illnesses I suffer. My main diagnosis is DID - dissociative identity disorder. I also suffer from severe depression, social phobia, and anxiety to name a few.

These illnesses definitely make motherhood more of a challenge and we often talk about how much to tell our son when he is old enough to understand. We don't want him to have to deal with the stigma of having a mentally ill mother.

If we can end the stigma this will never be an issue for him.



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OzBinky
5.00 (Excellent) | February 2007 | OzBinky
Better late then never...

I don't know how I missed this article Angie.....

It is a GREAT articel, as per usual....

and

Thank you for addressing this problem so well...

Lavinia



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MissieK
5.00 (Excellent) | February 2007 | MissieK
I agree

I had/have PND and it's amazing the stigma out there about that!  I can't believe the number of mother's who won't go & get help because they are scared their kids will be taken away from them.

Excellent article. 



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panting8
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | panting8
mental illness
i to know what its like to have mental illness i have had deprssion for nearly 12 years i lived with it everyday my husband suffered and so did my children i now am better i havn't had my anti- depresants since the last school holidays which was october. you have no control over anything the depression rules your life and the way you live. you have no motivation no desire for anything. you have no feelings at all it's like your numb and on auto pilot 24/7 and theres is nothing you can do about it.


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Goddessie7
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | Goddessie7
Mental Ilness

I am glad that you wrote this piece. I was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder at the age of 18 but was sure i had the illness from a younger age. Over the years i was re-diagnosed as having severe anxiety/depression.

Thanks to my strong will and help from my family and friends i am able to deal with this without the use of medication now! It's wonderful to take hold of my life for a change!

My daughter (7) is having a few troubles of her own too. We are in the middle of having her tested for A.D.D and other things. She has to have all the hearing and sight tests done to rule out other problems.

We are working very closely with her teachers at school and she is seeing a counciller who is helping us out too!

All i hope is that the stigma will wear off one day! We are all different and that is what i teach my daughter! Es...x



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blackwidowkate
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | blackwidowkate
I am mental
Hi
Good article.....stop talking about me lol
Happy now and you know what i mean woman

"They're coming to take me away hahahahhah"
Thanks Luv Deb


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Wendigo
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | Wendigo
statistics

1 in 5 people at some point in their lives will suffer from a mental illness.

on avarage, 5 people commit suicide everyday in Australia.

If anyone is going to ostracize someone for having a mental illness, they had better be prepared to challenge me - yep, I've got one too.



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mace-oz
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | mace-oz
dads veiw

I remember telling my dad I had depression when I was 15 (after atemtped self harm) and he cried. I relise that he had no idea but blamed himself for doing something wrong. Its never any one persons fault it just happens and we all need to learn to live with and around it.

Great advice, made me think about the above and glad I had support. Your son will and probably is glad of your support.



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Raine
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | Raine
Mental Illness or as I prefer 'Brain Chemical Imbalance...'
Hi Angie...

This article hit home base with me at the moment due to the fact that we are still not entirely sure what is going on with our little one... Thankfully your son has a terrific family to lend him support.

When people hear the term 'mental illness' it's as if they raise an invisible barrier hoping to protect themselves from contamination. This is so sad, as it's often just the slightest neurological imbalance causing the problem which can be corrected by the right medication. There has been so much advertising lately trying to shed light on mental illness, yet the stigma remains... You would think people could see it's 'NOT CATCHY' It's also sad to see how the response of the general public makes dealing with the problems associated with bi-polar or other brain chemical imbalances so much harder... As Darren Hinch used to say 'SHAME... SHAME... SHAME'

May I ask how old your son was when he was diagnosed as I've heard they don't recognize Bi polar in Australia until a child reaches 16... As our lad is only five I was surprised to see the new med they gave him the other day is one prescribed to help bi-polar patients... (We've had our doubts as to the single diagnosis of autism for some time)


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breannababy
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | breannababy
KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN
Trying to live and work (maintain a job)is so difficult for a sufferer,just testing your wings as a young adult is hard enough let alone having a mental disorder.Thanks Angie hugs Merle


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NickysMumMum
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | NickysMumMum
End the stigma
I applaud you for helping ending the stigma of mental illness. I believe the fear people have of sufferers of mental illness is to do with a lack of knowledge and understanding of the nature of mental illness. I remember back in the 80's when AIDS was rife and the scare campaigns made people run a mile from sufferers thinking that they would get AIDS from being touched or breathed upon. Sometimes I feel that people treat mentally ill people the same way, as though they have some contagious disease. If only they understood the social nature of mental illness, that sufferers can only get better if they have loving, caring people around them. Family support is extremely important. Without it and stuck inside an institution sufferers will never get well. I know.......My mother has been in hospital with schizophrenia for 15 years. Noone is there top help her, but my brother who also suffers untreated. I love my dear mum and miss her but I was torn from her when I was 8 years old and feel powerless over her plight today. I myself have gone through exactly what she did after the birth of my child and the only thing rhat could bring me around was the knowledge that I had people who cared about me and wanted me to get well - also I had a little help from medicinal friends.

Anyway, I believe that society might be less fearful if they only knew about the causes and effects and treatability of mental illness. It's not a death sentence like many people think it is. Many people in high ranking positions in society live and deal with mental illness. It can be overcome but only with continual support and medication.

Thankyou so much. You are doing a wonderful job to stick by your on. In the past parents had there children institutionalised - a path from which there is no escape. You are a wonderful woman! Keep up the good work!!

's Hayley


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gavnat
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | gavnat
Mental illness

Yeah there is alot of stigma attached to mental illness. I have a 14 daughter with a dual diagnosis of autism and psychosis. She is has been on the receiving end of many a bullying session at school and the scorn of people in general when she in the middle of a down time. It is hard enough for her to deal with these conditions as it is without people putting in the boots while she is down.

That is what led my wife Natalie and i to start our own forum to share these experiences with other parents in the same situation. It is hard being the parent of a daughter going through this but we also know that we havent got it nearly as bad as our daughter who struggles with this every minute of her life.



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nell18-3
5.00 (Excellent) | January 2007 | nell18-3
Stigma of Depression
You got my vote on this one!
Mental illness is always so badly misjudged.
Their are so many types of mental illnesses, just because someone has one it does not make them a bad person or possible killer etc people should all be given a chance in life. If you were to not get a job because you were in  a wheelchair there would be an outcry about it, everyone has the same rights.
Lets look at the person not the condition, we already have to deal with our condition, its much easier if we are accepted in society.


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