You Won’t See Me: Reducing Stigma in Mental Health By Michael Brooks | May 10 2011       1 Comments      Print

According to a 2010 report by the California Department of Mental Health, mental health providers are among the top two groups by whom consumers report feeling the most stigmatized¹. We are the people who are supposed to help, but our actions can result in a barrier to treatment and recovery. How many times have you responded to something a co-worker or friend told you by saying, “That’s crazy!” or “Only an idiot would do that,” or “Are you on drugs or something?” What you say reflects your attitude and your approach to the people we serve. Take this brief test to see how much you may foster stigma and not even realize it.

1. Have you ever encountered someone in public and thought, “That person is a client, or should be”?
2. Do you use the words like crazy, insane, moron, idiot, loony, or dope?
3. Do you use the suffix “aholic,” such as workaholic or chocaholic?
4. Do you say things like “Suzie is mentally ill” instead of “Suzie has a mental illness”?
5. Do you find yourself treating people with developmental disabilities like they are children?
6. Have you ever met with a consumer of services and concluded, “He will never 'get any better,' 'hold a job,' 'live on his own,' etc.?
7. Do you lower your expectations about what consumers can do?
8. Have you ever heard about a crime or act of violence and thought, “You would have to be out of your mind to do something like that”?
9. Have you ever witnessed some unusual events or behaviors and said, “There must be a full moon”?
10. Have you used or laughed at any of the following:  "He’s got a screw loose;" "she's playing a few cards short of a full deck;" "he’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier;" "she’s not all there"?

 

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• Michael Brooks 330 days ago
  
  
  
     What a great article!
  
  Reply