Trying to eradicate the stigma against people who have experienced mental health illness and associated preconceptions which are usually misconceptions about them.
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Nov 29 2011: The unfortunate fact is that most people who do recover well and are high functioning people in society are too scared to tell people about their past of being ill exactly for the reasons you state. Also many wish to forget about it and pretend it never happened. Others usually are not so lucky at recover to a pre-morbid state again, so people would not view them in the way that would be beneficial. It is a difficult one for sure. I like your analogy about laughing about people with cancer, it is true. I think peer work is becoming more and more recognised helping staff like me in mental health sector to have some idea of the experiences people may have and insight into them being like you say just 'normal' people with an illness. I believe that more work like this should be done like in schools and University's to get people more aware, not just for professionals in the Health field.
Nov 28 2011: This is something that I really wish to try to do something about. Currently I am working with people with mental illness supporting them in residential houses and on the wards...I think it is a case of educating people about mental illness and the forms it can take and what behaviours (bizzare or unusual) people will tend to do but also the reasons behind these behaviours should be explained as usually bizzare behviours will be caused by delusions that have some basis in truth or reality.
I would suggest that peer workers (people who have had a diagnosis of mental illness in the past and have now recovered) should educate people of things like a) how to react and act around someone who is mentally ill and b) to educate people about their experience of mental illness to gain insight into it. Most people can not fathom what it may be to experience mental illness. It would be beneficial for everyone whether they think they may experience it or not to have an idea of what may happen to them in the case of a mental breakdown. It can happen to anyone, especially if there are an accumulation of factors stressing someone in their life.
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A comment on Conversation: How do we break down the Stigma attached to those people who have mental health or psychiatric issue?
A comment on Conversation: How do we break down the Stigma attached to those people who have mental health or psychiatric issue?
I would suggest that peer workers (people who have had a diagnosis of mental illness in the past and have now recovered) should educate people of things like a) how to react and act around someone who is mentally ill and b) to educate people about their experience of mental illness to gain insight into it. Most people can not fathom what it may be to experience mental illness. It would be beneficial for everyone whether they think they may experience it or not to have an idea of what may happen to them in the case of a mental breakdown. It can happen to anyone, especially if there are an accumulation of factors stressing someone in their life.