Women have had the vote less than 5 generations, and to get the vote they had to fight for it, and endure violence and sometimes they were killed. But they won the vote in the end.
Minorities in western countries for example black people, had to fight for their right to equality. They aren’t there 100% yet but they’ve have come a long way.
Same goes for gays homesexuals and other minority groups. They fought for equality with ‘normies’ and have achieved a lot.
How about us with mental illness, we are stigmatized against and face prejudice and discrimination because we have an illness, which we got through no fault of our own. Many of us say that the stigma is the worst thing about this illness, and that’s saying a lot. Also, it’s something that can be changed with the right will, whereas many symptoms of sz can’t be changed.
What are we guys doing to fight stigma against us? It seems to me we’re doing ■■■■ all, sitting on our arses and complaining about stigma, but doing nothing to stop it.
Perhaps we deserve to have stigma against us, if we do nothing to prevent it. It seems to me, in life, if you want something you have to fight for it. Not sit on your arse bitching.
You do nothing. I have been trying to reduce stigma my whole life. There are also inclusion and diversity initiatives at some companies now. They aim to hire people with disabilities, whether physical or mental.
hell no… we don’t deserve this ■■■■ at all… there are no legitimate reasons we have sz… and it’s just inviting more insanity to try to conjure up an answer in the face of there really just not being one.
It’s almost like failing to acknowledge the nature of the illness being nothing but “bad brain wiring” when you try to approach the insanity of a fractured human subconscious with the intent to have it’s insanity justified and logical.
Schizophrenia is not logical… it does not fit in to the universe in any necessary or continuous way… it’s evolutionary baggage gained from humanity’s long climb out of the animal kingdom. Layers and layers of phases and growth and migration… genetic complexes on top of complexes shaping the most complicated organ in any earth-creature… the human mind.
The universe isn’t perfect… life isn’t predetermined… we’re strong and it’s worth living… but for all it’s triumphs… humanity, the world, the universe… it’s still riddled with ■■■■■■■■… and schizophrenia is just another aspect of that.
The first thing to do is educate. No everyone really cares, though. Notice how nothing ever gets seen unless a celebrity suffers from or dies from it? Right now depression and drug addiction is in fashion.
Yes, in fashion. This stuff runs in cycles. I have a daughter with autism and get to watch that come in fashion once a year. She was even born on n April- autism awareness month.
As soon as we can find some celebrities who willadmitto schizophrenia we will be golden.
I don’t think actual fighting is going to help. Making a good example of yourself is the only way, all while being open about your illness. People will make judgments even then, based on others they know or have ‘heard of’.
I don’t feel anybody deserves criticism regardless if you’re gay, black or white or yellow, or have mental illness. See, where I’m at with the stigmatizing bull I hear on a daily basis, I just get tired of constantly having to re-educate people. In todays world all you have to do is mention the word, and normies, or society in general will get the automatic impression, and then associate you with a split personality, or the traits of a serial killer. Which is far from the truth honestly. I wouldn’t even hurt a fly, let alone another human. I’d take myself out before I even thought about hurting anybody else. I see it more like a fear of something they don’t quite understand.
Human nature is to kill something that creates fear, this is called the law of the land. Natural selection at it’s finest. When we can’t kill something we attempt to tame it. When it cannot be tamed, we laugh at it, probably due to the fear factor, or maybe just a slight misunderstanding of the situation. I use this as my personal experience. People don’t know, therefore they cannot judge. I’m one of the few that probably fall in the non tameable category. I tend to stand in the shadows and just watch people as they self destruct. I’m an observer rather than a talker, I’ve always been this way. people don’t like it.
people want me to open up, but I find that rather difficult to become social like them. So I’m looked at as sort of an outcast. Or a leper who doesn’t suffer from leprosy, but more the individual who is rejected by society. Even though I try to remain friendly, and look past the negative comments. But deep down inside, it really does hurt. And odds are, the things they say to me will replay in my mind for weeks at a time, playing at the speed of light. But I still carry on with a slight smile on my face. I can’t change this, there’s not much I can do other than take meds and undergo other forms of therapy. I can’t manipulate brain chemistry, so therefore it’s not my fault. We don’t deserve stigma, and I feel the same for anybody else on this planet whether you have intellectual or developmental disorders, mental illness, or gay. It shouldn’t matter. People should treat people with respect, not fight and hurt one another. I guess I’m more the mindset of an old hippie, and honestly wouldn’t give up my madness to become a normie. I can’t even relate to them, I never have anything to talk about. sorry for ranting
There’s pretty much nothing we can do. We come out as Sz or Sza publicly we hurt our chances at work, friends and relationships. It’s not going to turn out with decreased stigmatization the way it did for gays. If we came out en masse all that would happen would be that every time a schiz person that came out commits a serious crime, it’ll get 3000 times the press instead of 500 times that it deserves.
We aren’t blacks in the 1960’s or gays 20 years ago, we’re something entirely different.
I feel like its up to those of us who have managed to be lucky enough to appear to most as “normal”, maybe through curcumstances or different chemical balances, to be open and honest about what we have. So those close to us can bridge the gap and realize that we are really just normal people who undergo a constant torture. People who fight hard everyday to keep their feet on the ground. People who need a constant reminder of what is real. My wife always says, and i feel youll all agree, “it must be so tiring being you”
the first step to trying to change the world be starting on yourself first.
i am working my butt off in recovery so i can go back to university and start my career in neuroscience.
anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
The Stoic in me will tell you that people’s thoughts about you are out of your control. They’re reactions are out of your control. But your own reactions to such things are in your control. It takes practice to consider and implement this basic dichotomy of control but it is very attainable.
But yes. Stigma is a rampaging beast with too many buildings in the way.
I just struggle with this at work. My manager cannot even use the word Schizophrenia when she talks about it and she is my aunt!
I find that it just makes everything so secretive, and I don’t like it. I only feel like I can ask MH and family to repeat themselves. I usually completely miss the point when talking to some people and end up just agreeing and closing the conversation down to avoid embarrassing myself.
The worst is the negative symptoms. People may feel ill of me, and if I go off sick because of the positives, I think people not knowing what’s going on doesn’t help.
With the above I think the stigma makes us hide our problems - which leaves us feeling isolated, rather than being open about them. I wish it was as acceptable as physical illness to talk about in public.
I think you can get your employer a pretty good tax break if he hires you. I think that is nationwide in the U.S. Of course, your employer might not want you after he knows you have a mental illness because he thinks you are the type of person who would open up with a firearm in a crowded place. I kinda’ think one potential employer didn’t hire me for that reason. I think it is a big mistake to inform strangers of your mental illness. Just show them that you are in possession of yourself, and you are an interesting person who they would like to know.
