Violence and mental illness?..... How not talking reinforces the stigma. And why the mentally ill don't want to do it....

The title of this wonderful Op-Ed, published in The Seattle Times in 2012 is “Changing How We Talk About Mental Illness”. And that is exactly what Alan Taylor talks about in this well-thought out piece. Mr. Taylor says that when we are talking about mental illness in political terms whenever we feel 'threatened' by mental illness or when we are discussing whether we believe that a mentally ill person committed a horrendous murder of multiple persons, it does not personalize what mental illness is and how it works in people's lives. He talks about how when we talk in communities in more personalized settings, there is more education about the impact. And people get to know the people who are mentally ill. And are more likely to understand what mental illness is. And increases our understanding of the need for access to treatment.  

He points out that most of the people with mental illness don't speak out about their illness because they are afraid of losing respect. Which allows us to continue believing that the mentally ill are out there waiting to 'go off' and become violent. As I have spoken about before, that is an erroneous view of mental illness. One truly not supported by statistics. And one that contributes heavily to the stigma. And the fear that we have of mental illness overall. As Mr. Taylor says, when he was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, his friend was even advised to drop the friendship because her boyfriend believed that he would be too 'dangerous' for her to have a friendship with. What a potent message THAT sent.

As he notes, real education about mental illness will occur in conversation with those suffering. When the one in four with a diagnosable mental illness are able to share our stories and experiences without the fear that we will be losing respect, opportunity and friendship. As Mr. Taylor points out, it is only through real conversation that we will learn that mental illness is not a disease of character. It is simply a disease. In the same way that my diabetes is a disease of my pancreas.  I love this emphasis on sharing.  I hope that I have taught you something about mental illness in my sharing. 

While I believe that the current attention being paid to mental illness is productive in the sense that it brings attention to the need for adequate access to treatment, it also continues to foster the impression that the mentally ill are dangerous. Once again, we are using the words mentally ill and violent in the same discussion. Which clearly reinforces one aspect of the stigma. And makes it difficult to erase the impression that the mentally ill are waiting to 'go off' and start shooting.  Here is hoping that you now know better.

If you have an interest in reading the original Op-Ed, here is the link: http://bit.ly/VD59LC