By Sherone Rogers, Shore House
Long Branch, NJ
When was the last time you called someone crazy, or said something like, “You’re acting schizo”? These seemingly innocent statements actually reinforce public stigma, the trend of endorsing stereotypes and subsequent acting out against a stigmatized group, an all too common practice against those with mental illness.
Stigma has been shown to have devastating effects on those living with mental illness and it is a large part of why people do not seek help. Skewed portrayals and gross generalizations of those living with mental illness are common occurrences in the media. Often times the voices of those with mental illness are never heard and this creates unfounded mistrust and fear. Have you ever wondered why cancer survivors are willing to stand up and be counted, while most people living with mental illness hide, even though fighting our illnesses takes just as much strength and resilience? We would never think to treat a person suffering from a physical illness such as cancer as anything less than heroic. Not so with mental illness.
T-shirts that say, “I’m schizophrenic and so am I” and hearing friends say things like, “I’m not going on a second date with him: he’s a psycho,” or “Your hair looks crazy!” when you’re having a bad hair day simply push those with a diagnosis farther into the closet. They also give people a false idea that they understand mental illness. For example, the word “bipolar” has come to be used as a description for anything that goes back and forth or up and down, even the weather. If you look up the word psychotic, you’ll probably find it doesn’t mean what you thought it did. Like most people with mental illness, it’s a lot deeper.
Even the government has reinforced stigma and discrimination. Until recently, Medicare had provided two types of coverage: one for the traditional physical illnesses and one specifically for mental illness. Mental illness was only covered at 50% instead of 80%, and had maximum allowable payments. Fortunately, this changed in 2008 when the government passed legislation granting parity between coverages.
What can you do? Try not to use words like crazy, nuts, or whacko. It sounds difficult, but not long ago we were calling things (and people) retarded when we thought they were senseless. For the sake of our developmentally disabled family, friends and neighbors, we slowly removed that word from our vocabularies. Do the one in four Americans living with mental illness deserve any less?
Shore House is a membership organization dedicated to providing supportive services and programs to help adults in Monmouth County lead fulfilling lives. This includes access to employment, education, housing, health care, and the opportunity to be productive, contributing members of their communities. Shore House was founded on the philosophy that people living with severe mental illness can and do recover. It is our belief that the peer support that defines a Clubhouse is a strong method of rehabilitation and re-integration into our communities.
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