Mental Illness Awareness Week

October 4-10 is Mental Illness Awareness Week and this year’s theme is #IamStigmaFree. From www.nami.org/miaw : “Being Stigma Free means learning about and educating others on mental illness, focusing on connecting with people to see each other as individuals and not a diagnosis, and most importantly, taking action on mental health issues and taking the StigmaFree pledge.”

As someone with a mental illness living a world without stigma is something important to me. I make plans to get my very own semicolon tattoo and am always willing to start a conversation about mental illness. I think we need to talk more. We need to open up and explain and see ourselves as a “teachable moment”, now I understand if you are private person and prefer not to discuss, or think that it is none of someone’s damn business. What I don’t want to see is shame over something that you have no control over. That is part of the conversation too.

              

               The first step in fighting stigma is an open dialogue. We need to talk about it till mental illness becomes as normal as the common cold. We need to let people know that there is nothing to fear. That the people that are experiencing mental illness are not dangerous, in fact people with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of crime than commit them. So we need to end the stereotypes by showing that there is nothing to fear, by showing that we are just like anyone else.

So stand up and say “I have a mental illness and I am proud.” Go out and get that semicolon tattoo. Write your Congressman. Speak up in any way you can. Be an ally for a friend or family member with a mental illness. Just do something to help break the stigma.