What do people think about creating a union of people with mental illness, who would champion the disabled person and work with their employers to see that they are properly treated and accommodated. Would you trust this union more than the government? How much dues would you pay to have someone to help you through the hoops the employers put you through?
Yeah, uh, no thanks.
When unions were first started, they benefited the worker. Not so today.
Nothing about a union would interest me today.
No job, no need.
I am on permanent disability from work. That means not only do I not have a job to be benefited from it, but i’m very poor so I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay dues.
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I am disabled and haven’t worked in four years, i don’t see myself working anytime soon. I probably couldn’t afford the dues.
Working for the city, I have to be union even if I don’t want to. But there is a lot of equatable accommodation.
I don’t think it’s because of the union that my boss is understanding. I think I just got lucky and my boss is a really good person who can bring in the union to help me out if needed. I’ve been seeing that I don’t get special treatment, my boss tries to be a good fair guy to everyone.
I would like there to be zero stigma about our condition. In my opinion, people (mostly colleagues and professors) see me as a wonder, someone who is practically cured of schizophrenia, but because I am so together and highly functioning, I don’t carry stigma.
I wish everyone was educated and informed about mental illnesses, not only schizophrenia, but bipolar and major depression as well. Eating disorders have been accepted, in my opinion, and homosexuality is no longer even considered to be a disorder, there is evidence backing it as simply a mutation (much like schizophrenia).
I myself am very open about my condition with people I meet, and especially the other psych students find me very interesting. I tell myself to live well because many of us are not fortunate to be able to accomplish as much as I do, and I feel like I live to make schizophrenia look better. I am one of those persons who has schizophrenia and lives a full meaningful life despite it. I feel like it is my duty to live well and help dissolve the stigma around us because I break most of the stigma.
But I still smoke half a pack a day. LOL
I used to be a stereotypical paranoid schizophrenic. I was highly functioning, but my life was hell. I live well and do the best I can do now because I used to think that I would never be sane again. I abused substances and half-assed my occupation as a student on a full scholarship but cutting class. I was too paranoid to leave the house, and I only had one friend whom I opened up to.
Medication, therapy and insight have made me a new, not normal, better, an above average person.