Having a diagnosis of a mental illness is not the end....

In an article written by my favorite mental illness blogger, Natalie Jean Champagne, she explores misconceptions about the mentally ill.  In her usual sarcastic and acerbic style, she seeks to poke a little fun at those misconceptions.  Because I like how and what she says, I am going to give you the link in the hopes that you will read her article:  http://bit.ly/XBvIoj  However, I have picked out the part that is most profound for me.  I am going to discuss this in my article.  Here it is:

Ignoring the Stigma and Embracing Life

Yes, these misconceptions are essentially related to stigma. There is no way around this. It is what it is and it’s getting better. I need to point out that those who harbor negative and inaccurate misconceptions are generally not educated on mental illness. And for every person who believes these things, I am certain there are more who do not (please, raise your hand).

I try to live my life with the attitude that if people have negative misconceptions I can either educate them or move along with my life (not shuffling, might I add). Recovering from mental illness is hard enough, try to ignore those who make it more difficult. 

So, here is my response.  I would like to expand this view of how people believe in the stigma.  Because I think that the stigma makes it more difficult for people to adjust to having the diagnosis in the first place.  For many people, what they ‘know’ about mental illness makes it even more difficult when they are told that they have a mental illness. People tend to see the worst case scenario. What they don’t realize is that a particular mental illness may have similar symptoms leading to diagnosis, but not everybody has every symptom.  And not everybody has the same level of severity.  Mental illness isn’t always what my Mom had.  Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t.  People with mental illness function in society in the same ways that people with physical illness do.  Sometimes the illness stops them from living in an optimum way.  Sometimes it doesn’t.  Treatment definitely helps you to achieve more normalization.

I also believe that people are impacted by the common view that having a mental illness is a weakness.  If so, then many people in our society are weak.  I know that isn’t the case.  Strong and good people have been diagnosed with mental illness.  It is more common than you realize. Even the famous find themselves struggling with mental illness. And accepting the reality of what it is will help you to feel better.  Because the stigma feeds denial and robs you of the ability to fight to get better. If I tell myself that my diabetes means that I am a bad person and that I can’t be diabetic, then I am likely to ignore the fact that there are tools out there that will prolong my life.  And I will definitely die sooner as a result. Now, I don’t feel that way about my diabetes.  I don’t feel that way about my mental illness either.  Because having an illness just is.  And my responses in dealing with it are what are going to determine its power over me.  Truly.

What has this discussion meant to you?  Have you struggled after receiving a diagnosis?  If so, I support you in adjusting your attitude towards mental illness.  Educating yourself is the first step. Getting treatment will lead to improved health outcomes.  Finally, finding support will make a huge difference in your ability to cope.  If I can be of assistance in your adjustment process, let me know.  It will get better.  And remember…we don’t all shuffle.