I never thought of the stigma when i was dxed with sz/sz-a. Which is not to say i didn’t get bad reactions from people but i put that down to being socially dysfunctional.
Since the change to a PD dx i think about it more… I am more ashamed to have a PD than i ever was to be diagnosed with sz/sz-a.
What really gets me is there are people with sz and non sz alike that dont believe stigma really exists, or its not an issue. It does exist and it is a problem. There is no reason in the world why we should be viewed as being lesser human beings just because of our medical diagnosis. Just the other day I went to the pharmacy - for the first time I was ordering an antipsychotic there, before this I had good relations with the pharmacist, this was before she was ordering the antipsychotic for me. The look this woman gave me was astonishing, after this she was less talkative to me and seemed distant, not saying much to me - as if she was being cautious. Mental health workers - psychiatrists, therapists, pharmacists do it all of the time. Wake up people - please
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Malvok, reading your post, the first think that comes to mind is the Stockholm Syndrome. We do not deserve stigma. I see your point, but why would anyone want to be treated badly? Those examples of schizophrenics getting violent are the exception, not the rule. Do you want to face the sting of stigma because of what some one else did? I don’t.You have to look out for yourself personally. The violent schizophrenics will not get away without being punished .Fine, fair enough. THAT I can agree with. But why should I be punished for something i didn’t do? You’re buying into the public’s misconceptions and ignorance.There’s a big difference between understanding prejudice and thinking you deserve it. Stigma is based on lumping all schizophrenics together as scary, violent people which could not be further from the truth. We are individuals who were unlucky enough to be disabled. I haven’t layed my hands on anybody after over 30 years of paranoid schizophrenia, even though I’ve had every reason too.Now why should I be stigmatized for something someone else did three states and a thousand miles away?
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I’m saying that stigma isn’t created in a vacuum.
That’s what stigma is. You never feel stigma for what you’ve done. It is always what some other schizophrenic has done.
I’ve seen many get riled up and defensive when faced with stigma. I think people are forgetting how scary and strange this illness can be. Not everyone who perpetrates stigma is a bad person out to attack schizophrenics.
I think maybe people are just so ashamed by the label schizophrenic that they get defensive about it all.
Maybe we need to take ownership of the word schizophrenic. Other social groups have taken ownership of slurs against them. Stand up and say, “Hey I’m schizophrenic, and that’s not so bad.”
And stigma only hurts if you let it.
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If there was a new law that states everyone should have their diagnosis tattooed to their forehead - Not too many people would come within 100 feet of me - this is just the facts
It reminds of an old AA tenet that I heard. Alcoholics and addicts often get caught up in “should’s”. In another words, they think the world “SHOULD” give them everything they want. Other people “SHOULD” always treat us with respect. I “SHOULD” have what everybody else has. But the world doesn’t always work on ‘shoulds’. I don’t think I SHOULD face stigma, because of someone else, but obviously it happens. You’re right on one point. I can get scared by other schizophrenics, bizarre behaviors and bizarre looking people can make me nervous and scared. Irrationality is scary. But on the other hand, some of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life have been schizophrenics. And I was friends with some of them for years.
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I agree totally with this and think sections of the media have a lot to answer for.
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All, no. But some, yes. And as far as scary goes, most people who are psychotic are very scary to normal people.
Ok, it’s about 5:00 a.m. where I’m sitting and I’ve just gotten my 4th cup of coffee, so I’m going to attempt to articulate the spinning in my head with out offending… this is purely a ponder not meant to inflame, not in anyway directed to anyone but the open air…
Wow, getting verbally stuck here… Ok, so I would never tell people to come out of the SZ closet if they weren’t ready. People can only do what they can do… tell, don’t tell, only you in your shoes knows if it’s right for you or not. But I’m a compulsive confessor. Blab and blab some more. That’s just how my head is wired.
I do know that bad sting of stigma is out there. But I can’t just say… "HEY man, this sucks."and then it will all change because I willed in my head.
People only ever see the psychosis. They never see the other days,… the other days when we get up, get dressed, go to the market and read a book are never televised. 
If I never tell anyone I’m Sz. then how can I expect people to see the fact that an SZ can function. There were a few times I was convinced the attitude I was getting was due to my Sz and I confronted the coffee waitress on it only to find it had nothing to do with SZ, she doesn’t like guys. “ALL YOU MEN! JERKS!” she cringed. So it was my stigma as a man.
I do tell people. I used it as a way to scare people away from me. But for some reason, over the years, people aren’t afraid of me. I think now it’s more because I’m sober, off drugs and I’m not homeless and I wash my hair and wear clean clothing. (I still wear jeans and tee’s and flannel… this is Grunge country.)
I’ve taken a lot of classes and Xanax to be able to look people in the eye and say Hello. So when I do tell people I’m SZ they don’t seem to run away… The ones who do… It hurts and I hate it, but I have to tell myself, their problem, not mine.
Maybe people aren’t going to get over the stigma if I don’t show them the other side… the day to day non-psychotic side. I’m going to ponder this for a few more hours… so I’ll try to stop typing.
Thank you for letting me sort of spill it here… 
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Hi J, good morning buddy. I was just going to say or write rather, that stigma really exists when its out in the open.
People have a distorted view about psychosis anyways from the media - its not a true representation of schizophrenia.
We are not constantly completely psychotic. We have a pleasant human side always. We work, go to doctors, take meds, have hobbies, love our family and friends - we live. Stigma clouds this side of us.
If I dont tell someone I have schizophrenia - there is no stigma against me for the moment. As soon as my illness is out in the open, it exists and it rears its ugly head
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This is just my weird ponder… No offense meant to any state or city or what ever, but I wonder if things are different in different regions.
I’ve read of some horrid things about reactons in the bible belt and other places where the media is the only really from of information.
I’m here in a pretty large Med tech city. I live just north of the UW medical research center and a lot of people I come across are pretty savvy on mental illness. The college has talks and there is a magazine dedicated to raising autistic kids on the news stand… http://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/
I’ve even seen this on our news stand… http://www.szmagazine.com/
So maybe it is a regional thing and that’s why I’m not feeling it as bad as other places might?
But I wonder, how do we fight the stigma? You’re post about the pharmacy lady is really sad to me. That’s unprofessional. But you can’t be mad at someone due to their fear, no matter how misplaced that fear is, or how falsely perpetuated that fear is. Fear is irrational and shines out from the subconscious no matter how hard the person might try to block that fear.
It doesn’t make it any easier on you though. As long as she wasn’t straight up rude or refused you service…
I guess it will just take some time that she sees your a good guy and her perception of SZ might need a change. It might be hard, but just keep doing what you do and let her see that you’re a cool guy.
I would have to say that I was very proud of my son the other day. I was going to buy my own tinctures and he wanted to come too and see if there was one for helping with anxiety. We needed to ask about drug interaction with his anti-psychotics as I learned the hard way about St John’s Wort. He asked me if he could talk to them and ask them and I told him yes if he wanted to let them know that he was taking AP’s then go ahead. He told the lady outright that his medications were for schizophrenia. She was very helpful and I was a little teary eyed with pride 
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That is very cool news. Good for him. Maybe… just maybe that insight door is starting to open just a slight.
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@BarbieBF That is good news Barbie, not all store workers, strangers are going to be negative Im sure
@SurprisedJ I think it varies by region. I dont live in a city, but a rather small conservative town in the North East region of the USA - I think you are right it depends where you live. Big city people are going to be more modern and open, Im guessing> The positive side to my story with the pharmacist - she is warming up towards me a bit.
I dont want to come across that stigma is destroying our lives every minute, I just wanted to put it out there it does exist, and it is usually fear and ignorance based
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I won’t go to the local drug store to get my rx because I know the pharmacist. I drive out of my way to get the stuff and it seems like the pharmacist and clerks treat me a little different than everyone else.
In my ethics class we read that for every 6-day inpatient stay in a hospital over 150 people will have access to your medical records. I thought that was pretty scary. Even though HIPAA exists people still talk and word gets around.
That’s very true–word does get around.
When I was 15, and living in a small town in Tennessee, I foolishly cut my arm open and had to go to the local hospital for stitches.
Two days later, everyone at school was talking about how I “tried to kill myself.” Turns out one of my classmates’ mom worked at the local hospital and told her son about me; who told EVERYONE else.
Privacy is a major concern for me. I don’t blindly sign release of information forms with any of my doctors. Most will have new patients sign a blank one at their first visit. I don’t do this.
If I want someone to know about my healthcare, I’ll tell them myself!
Blessings,
Anthony
I’m so glad I live in a big city where I’m just one of a million. I am always amazed when a person from my past crosses my path and they had no idea what happened to me.
Like my own old friend from swim team, back when we were 17. I was chased down, restrained and admitted… and he never knew a thing about it.
He thought I just stopped calling due to his coming out… which I didn’t know anything about because I was in hospital.
I’m so glad his kid sis and my kid sis got us talking again. We were both amazed how easy it is to lose yourself or others in a big city.
I came to this topic a little late. I haven’t read but snippets of posts. I believe articles are the problem. There’s a difference between saying “I’m a schizophrenic” and “I’m schizophrenic.” Very subtle but important. It’s like the difference between saying “I’m an individual” and “I’m individual.” Not all languages have articles. You may have noticed some foreigners leaving out articles. I think articles lead towards separation from community and lack of articles makes a community. We’re in this together folks, there’s only one Earth. I am one individual, you are another. We are both individuals. I slip in language all the time. Perhaps we should raise several campaigns to abolish articles from the language. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_(grammar) Perhaps the cold war is/was all about articles. Think about it.
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responding to wave, Since we disagree. I think adding an “a” leads away from community.
That might be a good argument, but you don’t hear people say “I’m cancerous” or “I’m cirrosis” or “I’m dementia praecox” You do hear them say “I’m demented,” but do people who are demented really say that?