Tuesday, June 25, 2013

From 'Bedlam' to today. How can you contribute to erasing stigma?...



Bedlam, or Bethlem Royal Hospital, is the oldest mental hospital in Europe.  Located in the United Kingdom, it is as the name suggests a symbol of the worst that mental health treatment historically offered.  Bedlam, meaning “uproar and confusion” (courtesy of Wikipedia) has a long and storied history.  In the days of Bedlam, the mentally ill were restrained with chains and held in the worst of all possible conditions.  Of course, we have made some progress since those days.  But we need to acknowledge that the changes in the way that the mentally ill are treated were not fast in coming.  And we are still battling the impact of the stigma on the treatment of the mentally ill.  If you research the connection between accusations of being in control of the devil or being a witch, it is possible to find examples in modern times of people being accused in this day and age. 

People are not comfortable with people who are not capable of behaving within predictable norms.  That seems almost reasonable.  Mentally ill people are not always predictable.  And for those not educated about the biochemical reasons for mental illness, it seems foreign and therefore, uncomfortable.  We are living in an extraordinary time.  More is known about mental illness than at any other time in history.  We ‘get’ the reasons.  We know more about how to treat it.  And we are capable of providing more humane treatment.  So, we are living in a time in which our knowledge base can be used to deal with the age-old prejudices and judgments.  We have the tools to fight the stigma.    
So, what is the point of this conversation?  We have progressed.  We have the capability of changing beliefs.  We have the capability of changing the course of a life impacted by mental illness.  And we can heal family relationships and work on the social acceptance of those dealing with mental illness. If you think about the ways that the mentally ill have historically been treated, this is nothing short of amazing.  All I can say is THANK God! 

If you are dealing with mental illness, there are options out there for you.  While we still struggle to make treatment accessible, there is knowledge.  And I believe that with further education and recognition of the issues, we can make treatment more available than it has ever been before.  I am doing my part to move this process forward.  I believe that blogging about the impact of mental illness makes it more understandable for people who don’t understand.  And I think that YOU have a lot to contribute in this area.  I encourage you to share your experience.  The most empowering way to help people understand is to share experiences.  I invite you to start writing.  Or to challenge the stigma and share with people in your life.  Take a risk.  Even baby steps are a huge thing.  Become known. You will never know how much healing can be out there for you until you take the risk.   

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