Step Up on Second Writers' Anthology

Stamp Out Stigma!
By Jacob Ramsey

Those of us who suffer daily with mental illness face additional suffering: the pain we feel from being judged, excluded, and avoided by others. I’m talking about stigma, and take it from me, stigma hurts. Stigma destroys the spirit of not just the mentally ill, but everyone—it eats away at the common bond of our humanity.

The Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines stigma as “a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.” The root of the word comes from Greek, meaning a mark or puncture, especially one made by a pointed instrument. That’s certainly the way stigma feels to me and my mentally ill brothers and sisters.

The word crazy makes me crazy. I am not a crazy person or a diagnosis—I’m a human being! Calling us crazy is degrading. It’s blaming us for a medical condition. It labels us as ‘subhumans’ who are out of touch with reality. We are not crazy, or bad, or worthless, or lazy, or dangerous. We have a brain disorder that places certain limits on our functioning and requires and responds to treatment.

Stella Marsh, the National Coordinator for NAMI (the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) and a dear friend of mine, once told me there would always be chances to educate people and help change the world’s false perceptions about mental illness. These words have become my mission.

My response to those who stigmatize is to educate them. I tell them that mental illness is a medical condition—a disorder of brain chemistry. I ask them if they would put down, blame, label, or shun someone with another medical condition, like diabetes. I tell them that we are constantly seeking and finding ways to manage mental health. I remind them that every mentally ill person is a human being with feelings and potential. This is my way of stamping out stigma.

I also educate others by reminding them of some of the mentally ill people who have made great contributions to society. Many have had the courage to speak out about their conditions to help erase stigma and encourage others to seek treatment. The great mathematician and Noble Prize winner John Nash, portrayed by Russell Crow in the film A Beautiful Mind, suffered from schizophrenia. Actress Patty Duke, journalist Mike Wallace, athlete Terry Bradshaw, and writer William Styron all suffered from clinical depression. Abraham Lincoln is thought to have suffered from chronic depression and Winston Churchill probably had bipolar disorder.

Mental illness is painful, but stigma can be just as bad. Stigma makes people feel isolated, ashamed, and scorned. It sometimes leads to discrimination or violent acts against the mentally ill and homeless. Worst of all, many people with mental illness hide their problems and avoid getting help because they’re afraid of being labeled and stigmatized.

Not all the news is bad. Stigma is slowly eroding. The public is slowly but surely gaining a better understanding of mental illness. New and better treatments are constantly being discovered. Laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act are being enacted to protect our rights.

How can those of us experiencing symptoms of mental illness cope with stigma? The Mayo Clinic’s Web site, mayoclinic.com, has several suggestions:

• Get treatment. Not only will it help control the symptoms, but for many people, having a confirmed diagnoses and knowing that others share the same condition provides relief.
  
• Surround yourself with supportive people.
  
• Do not equate yourself with your illness. Instead of saying, “I’m bipolar,” say “I have bipolar disorder.”
  
• Join an advocacy group.

In addition, I recommend seeking out support services. There are many wonderful community organizations, such as Step Up on Second and Daniel’s Place that provide positive support, education, rehabilitation, and housing services.

There are many wonderful physicians, therapists, educators, researchers, social workers, and volunteers who have dedicated themselves to helping those who suffer from mental illness. We can all do our part by helping wipe out the prejudice and misunderstanding. Please join me in my mission—let’s all work together to stamp out stigma! This may seem as impossible as electing an African American with a Muslim middle name president of the United States of America in 2008, but I have the same kind of determination that Barack Obama did to achieve my dream: Together we can stamp out stigma—yes we can!

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