Fighting Stigma
Content
Stop The Ignorance Given to Mental Afflictions
DRAWING A PICTURE OF MENTAL ILLNESS By Brenda Silveira Company I M CONFIDENT
WHAT DOES YOUR PICTURE OF MENTAL ILLNESS LOOK LIKE?
ANGRY PEOPLE??
DESTRUCTIVE PEOPLE??
DANGEROUS……… or VIOLENT PEOPLE??
PEOPLE WITH LOW INTELLIGENCE?
$00000.00
PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOME?
PEOPLE WHO HAVE WEAK CHARACTER?
PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ARE ALL THE SAME AND CAN’T BE HELPED?
WOW!! YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA OF WHAT MENTAL ILLNESS IS. LET‟S TAKE A LOOK AT THE REAL PICTURE! FIRST LET‟S TAKE A LOOK ALL THOSE MYTHS THAT YOU BELIEVE ARE TRUE.
Myth - People with mental illness are violent and dangerous.
WRONG!! As a group, they are no more violent than any other group. In fact, they are far more likely to be the victims of violence than to be violent themselves.
Myth - People with mental illness are poor and/or less intelligent.
WRONG!! Many studies show that most have average or above-average intelligence. Mental illness, like physical illness, can affect anyone, regardless of intelligence, social class or income level.
William Styron – Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Isaac Newton (scientist, mathematician) Robert Downey Jr - Robert Louis Stevenson - Vincent Van Gogh (famous painter)
Edgar Allan Poe Shawn Andrews (Eagles Guard)
HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT ANY OF THESE POOR AND STUPID PEOPLE WHO HAVE DESPRESSION OR BIPOLAR DISORDER?
President Lincoln
Delta Burke Napolean Bonaparte Angelina Jolie Robert Munsch
Olympic Gold Winners Matthew Mitchem Dorothy Hamill
Mark Twain JK Rowling (Harry Potter books) Patty Duke
Virginia Woolfe Senator Bob Antonioni Sigmund Freud Jane Pauley (TV journalist)
Beethoven Jim Carrey
WRONG AGAIN!! It is a broad classification for many disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders and organic brain disorders. These can cause misery, tears and missed opportunities for thousands of Canadians.
Myth - Mental illness is a single, rare disorder.
WRONG!! A mental illness is not a character flaw, it is an illness. It has nothing to do with being weak or lacking will-power. NOBODY chooses to become ill, and CANNOT just "snap out of it."
Myth - Mental illness is caused by a personal weakness.
LET‟S DO A QUICK QUIZ
You have 2 good friends that go golfing with you. One is in the hospital getting chemotherapy and the other just had a breakdown and was diagnosed with clinical depression. You visit your friend in the hospital and on the way home, stop to see your other friend.
You give comments to both friends. Comment 1 – Stay positive and things will be just fine. Comment 2 –Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get up and get over it. Which do you give to the friend with cancer and which to the friend with depression. Why?
NOW FOR THE QUIZ
WAIT A MINUTE!! STOP RIGHT THERE!! I HAVE A QUESTION.
Did you just tell someone to „get up and get over it”? Get over what? “WOW! Looks like this picture isn‟t finished yet. You still don‟t understand that illnesses are illnesses. Let‟s keep drawing.
psycho crazy
You‟ve all heard the expression, Sticks and stones…… But words will never hurt you. WHAT?!? Who would think such a stupid thing was true? Words CAN HURT!!!
It‟s time to look at some of the real facts about mental illness.
Society puts enormous pressures on people, who are getting so STRESSED it is making them DEPRESSED or even worse.
THE MEDIA…
often distorts the truth, using mental illness to create spectacular situations and stories.
Take a look at 5 or your family members and friends. At least 1 of them will probably experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime or maybe it will be you!
Wouldn‟t it be nice if you understood what the real facts were instead of all the myths that are hanging around.
Let‟s look at that horrible word STIGMA – the little word that causes big problems. Stigma has: •closed our minds •caused disrespect • caused discrimination • discourages people from getting the proper help
The government spends millions of dollars annually in health care costs and the cost of employee absences is enormous. The cost is over $8 billion per year and when you add substance abuse, which is often the result or cause of mental illness, this grows to $33 billion per year!!! My question is simply, WHY??
SO WHAT DOES STIGMA COST? A LOT!!!
Insurance companies pay out millions of dollars each year for disability insurance claims relating to mental illness. Again, why?
Stigma is also responsible for high unemployment for those with mental illnesses – up to 90%!! Did you know that Niagara has one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada? This creates a huge need for social assistance. Is this really necessary?
This seems to be a vicious circle!
UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE
COLLECT SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
PEOPLE BECOME STRESSED AND DEPRESSED
LESS MONEY SPENT ON CONSUMER GOODS
LESS WORK WAGE CUTS LAYOFFS
LESS SALES LOWER PROFITS
Work is really important to anyone recovering from mental illness - giving purpose, a support system and income.
People who work have a better quality of life and are less likely to require hospitalization from a mental illness.
YET…… EMPLOYMENT CAN ALSO CAUSE PROBLEMS.
What? How? Why? STIGMA AGAIN! Mental illness is badly misunderstood by many employers and co-workers, so people try to hide their disability and not get help. Employers need to learn the facts and set proper systems in place to lesson workplace stress and resulting depression.
Did you know that working for an inconsiderate, overbearing and uncaring boss can actually kill you? When work causes you to be upset and stressed out, the result can be high blood pressure and heart attacks. Wow, that‟s a sad picture.
THEN THERE IS THE STIGMA WITHIN THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM
EXCUSE ME? THAT DOESN‟T MAKE SENSE. Maybe not, but professionals also have poor attitudes towards mental illness and have shown complete disrespect towards their own patients. This stops many people from seeking help. YIKES! I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY.
BROKEN LEG?
Time to get to the hospital.
PANIC ATTACK?
CONSIDERING SUICIDE?
Time to get to the ????? WHERE? It can be humiliating to go to the hospital when there are no symptoms or signs of distress. Too often, people just try to ignore things and they won‟t disappear – just get worse.
People living with mental illness often feel worse from how others treat them, then they do from the illness itself. This includes families, friends, co-workers, professionals and even strangers. There is definitely something wrong with this picture!
Each year in Canada there are thousands of people hospitalized and more than 4,000 deaths by suicide in Canada.
Source: Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition 2006
CANADIANS ARE BEING DESTROYED BY the lack of correct information and the support that is so desperately needed.
We are basically CUTTING OFF our own heads.
In Canada, we have severed the head from the body by separating physical and psychological health. This is not productive and can be very harmful.
For years the lack of support for people with mental illness has been felt by individuals and their families. In 1935, the best known self-help group AA was started and slowly others began to appear.
However, slowly is not acceptable. WE ARE IN CRISIS! THERE IS A TIME BOMB TICKING!
Mental CAN be treated effectively. With the proper diagnosis by a medical doctor, a treatment plan (meds and/or therapy), ongoing support and regular checkups, RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE.
So when is something going to be done? How many more……
• will be admitted to hospitals for mental illnesses • will be admitted to hospitals for mental illnesses • will commit suicide to stop their pain Can we add your family to the numbers being torn apart?
Self-help and support groups provide emotional and practical help which comes from those who have „lived‟ experience and can honestly say, “I understand because I have been there myself.” This support CANNOT be duplicated in a doctor‟s office.
Peer support groups help because they: •have a warm, friendly, inviting atmosphere •are non-judgmental •are non-threatening • allow you to feel comfortable •don‟t pressured you into saying anything you don‟t want to
the Mental Health Commission of Canada was created. $15 million per year has been committed to provide funding for their work. The commission has 3 strategic initiatives: 1.develop a national mental health strategy 2.conduct a 10-year anti-stigma campaign 3.build a national knowledge-exchange centre.
IN AUGUST 2007…………..
Mental Health experts are telling us that if employers would they broke the stigma of mental illness as a character weakness, they would save billions of dollars annually. WOW!
WE ARE NOW STARTING TO BRING THE TRUTH TO THE SURFACE!
THE CANADIAN FORCES……
have found peer support a valuable tool in in recovery. Suicide rate in the forces is low compared to civilian population, but it is still a problem. Every 40 seconds someone in the world dies by suicide, which has taken more lives each year than armed conflict and vehicle accidents.
Mental illness can be treated and many can recover. Looking at someone with a mental illness should be no different than someone with a physical illness. ILLNESSES ARE ILLNESSES! Anyone who is ill should be treated with respect and dignity. Illness can come to anyone and it could stop at your door.
It is the responsibility of all individuals to find out the proper information about any illness or disease and not listen to false rumours or spread gossip that may destroy families and other relationships.
People with mental illness are people with varying abilities, strengths and interests.
While they are ill, they need a lot of support from their families, friends and workplaces.
When they are back in the swing of things, they still need support, but they can also support us when we face challenges in life.
PROVEN TO SUCCEED
Some companies have been opened to provide training and employment for people with Mental Health Issues. One that is very successful is located in Toronto. Fresh Start was started in 1989 and is solely owned and operated by psychiatric survivors.
Employees are trained and work in a positive environment which helps build confidence.
Employees are trained and work in a positive environment which helps build confidence. Ongoing support keeps employees working and out of hospital. Employees who spent 45 days or more a year in the hospital, have reduced their visits to 0 days. This is an estimated savings of $600 per day per employee.
The company has a high reputation and they are praised for their work in the community. Funding comes from the Trillium Foundation and the City of Toronto. There are others, but this just tells us we can succeed if we really want to.
REMEMBER, TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! LET‟S ALL WORK TOGETHER AND DRAW A PICTURE THAT DOESN‟T HAVE STIGMA. THE TIME IS NOW!!!
DRAWING A PICTURE OF MENTAL ILLNESS By Brenda Silveira Company I M CONFIDENT
WHAT DOES YOUR PICTURE OF MENTAL ILLNESS LOOK LIKE?
ANGRY PEOPLE??
DESTRUCTIVE PEOPLE??
DANGEROUS……… or VIOLENT PEOPLE??
PEOPLE WITH LOW INTELLIGENCE?
$00000.00
PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOME?
PEOPLE WHO HAVE WEAK CHARACTER?
PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ARE ALL THE SAME AND CAN’T BE HELPED?
WOW!! YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA OF WHAT MENTAL ILLNESS IS. LET‟S TAKE A LOOK AT THE REAL PICTURE! FIRST LET‟S TAKE A LOOK ALL THOSE MYTHS THAT YOU BELIEVE ARE TRUE.
Myth - People with mental illness are violent and dangerous.
WRONG!! As a group, they are no more violent than any other group. In fact, they are far more likely to be the victims of violence than to be violent themselves.
Myth - People with mental illness are poor and/or less intelligent.
WRONG!! Many studies show that most have average or above-average intelligence. Mental illness, like physical illness, can affect anyone, regardless of intelligence, social class or income level.
William Styron – Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Isaac Newton (scientist, mathematician) Robert Downey Jr - Robert Louis Stevenson - Vincent Van Gogh (famous painter)
Edgar Allan Poe Shawn Andrews (Eagles Guard)
HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT ANY OF THESE POOR AND STUPID PEOPLE WHO HAVE DESPRESSION OR BIPOLAR DISORDER?
President Lincoln
Delta Burke Napolean Bonaparte Angelina Jolie Robert Munsch
Olympic Gold Winners Matthew Mitchem Dorothy Hamill
Mark Twain JK Rowling (Harry Potter books) Patty Duke
Virginia Woolfe Senator Bob Antonioni Sigmund Freud Jane Pauley (TV journalist)
Beethoven Jim Carrey
WRONG AGAIN!! It is a broad classification for many disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders and organic brain disorders. These can cause misery, tears and missed opportunities for thousands of Canadians.
Myth - Mental illness is a single, rare disorder.
WRONG!! A mental illness is not a character flaw, it is an illness. It has nothing to do with being weak or lacking will-power. NOBODY chooses to become ill, and CANNOT just "snap out of it."
Myth - Mental illness is caused by a personal weakness.
LET‟S DO A QUICK QUIZ
You have 2 good friends that go golfing with you. One is in the hospital getting chemotherapy and the other just had a breakdown and was diagnosed with clinical depression. You visit your friend in the hospital and on the way home, stop to see your other friend.
You give comments to both friends. Comment 1 – Stay positive and things will be just fine. Comment 2 –Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get up and get over it. Which do you give to the friend with cancer and which to the friend with depression. Why?
NOW FOR THE QUIZ
WAIT A MINUTE!! STOP RIGHT THERE!! I HAVE A QUESTION.
Did you just tell someone to „get up and get over it”? Get over what? “WOW! Looks like this picture isn‟t finished yet. You still don‟t understand that illnesses are illnesses. Let‟s keep drawing.
psycho crazy
You‟ve all heard the expression, Sticks and stones…… But words will never hurt you. WHAT?!? Who would think such a stupid thing was true? Words CAN HURT!!!
It‟s time to look at some of the real facts about mental illness.
Society puts enormous pressures on people, who are getting so STRESSED it is making them DEPRESSED or even worse.
THE MEDIA…
often distorts the truth, using mental illness to create spectacular situations and stories.
Take a look at 5 or your family members and friends. At least 1 of them will probably experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime or maybe it will be you!
Wouldn‟t it be nice if you understood what the real facts were instead of all the myths that are hanging around.
Let‟s look at that horrible word STIGMA – the little word that causes big problems. Stigma has: •closed our minds •caused disrespect • caused discrimination • discourages people from getting the proper help
The government spends millions of dollars annually in health care costs and the cost of employee absences is enormous. The cost is over $8 billion per year and when you add substance abuse, which is often the result or cause of mental illness, this grows to $33 billion per year!!! My question is simply, WHY??
SO WHAT DOES STIGMA COST? A LOT!!!
Insurance companies pay out millions of dollars each year for disability insurance claims relating to mental illness. Again, why?
Stigma is also responsible for high unemployment for those with mental illnesses – up to 90%!! Did you know that Niagara has one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada? This creates a huge need for social assistance. Is this really necessary?
This seems to be a vicious circle!
UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE
COLLECT SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
PEOPLE BECOME STRESSED AND DEPRESSED
LESS MONEY SPENT ON CONSUMER GOODS
LESS WORK WAGE CUTS LAYOFFS
LESS SALES LOWER PROFITS
Work is really important to anyone recovering from mental illness - giving purpose, a support system and income.
People who work have a better quality of life and are less likely to require hospitalization from a mental illness.
YET…… EMPLOYMENT CAN ALSO CAUSE PROBLEMS.
What? How? Why? STIGMA AGAIN! Mental illness is badly misunderstood by many employers and co-workers, so people try to hide their disability and not get help. Employers need to learn the facts and set proper systems in place to lesson workplace stress and resulting depression.
Did you know that working for an inconsiderate, overbearing and uncaring boss can actually kill you? When work causes you to be upset and stressed out, the result can be high blood pressure and heart attacks. Wow, that‟s a sad picture.
THEN THERE IS THE STIGMA WITHIN THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM
EXCUSE ME? THAT DOESN‟T MAKE SENSE. Maybe not, but professionals also have poor attitudes towards mental illness and have shown complete disrespect towards their own patients. This stops many people from seeking help. YIKES! I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY.
BROKEN LEG?
Time to get to the hospital.
PANIC ATTACK?
CONSIDERING SUICIDE?
Time to get to the ????? WHERE? It can be humiliating to go to the hospital when there are no symptoms or signs of distress. Too often, people just try to ignore things and they won‟t disappear – just get worse.
People living with mental illness often feel worse from how others treat them, then they do from the illness itself. This includes families, friends, co-workers, professionals and even strangers. There is definitely something wrong with this picture!
Each year in Canada there are thousands of people hospitalized and more than 4,000 deaths by suicide in Canada.
Source: Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition 2006
CANADIANS ARE BEING DESTROYED BY the lack of correct information and the support that is so desperately needed.
We are basically CUTTING OFF our own heads.
In Canada, we have severed the head from the body by separating physical and psychological health. This is not productive and can be very harmful.
For years the lack of support for people with mental illness has been felt by individuals and their families. In 1935, the best known self-help group AA was started and slowly others began to appear.
However, slowly is not acceptable. WE ARE IN CRISIS! THERE IS A TIME BOMB TICKING!
Mental CAN be treated effectively. With the proper diagnosis by a medical doctor, a treatment plan (meds and/or therapy), ongoing support and regular checkups, RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE.
So when is something going to be done? How many more……
• will be admitted to hospitals for mental illnesses • will be admitted to hospitals for mental illnesses • will commit suicide to stop their pain Can we add your family to the numbers being torn apart?
Self-help and support groups provide emotional and practical help which comes from those who have „lived‟ experience and can honestly say, “I understand because I have been there myself.” This support CANNOT be duplicated in a doctor‟s office.
Peer support groups help because they: •have a warm, friendly, inviting atmosphere •are non-judgmental •are non-threatening • allow you to feel comfortable •don‟t pressured you into saying anything you don‟t want to
the Mental Health Commission of Canada was created. $15 million per year has been committed to provide funding for their work. The commission has 3 strategic initiatives: 1.develop a national mental health strategy 2.conduct a 10-year anti-stigma campaign 3.build a national knowledge-exchange centre.
IN AUGUST 2007…………..
Mental Health experts are telling us that if employers would they broke the stigma of mental illness as a character weakness, they would save billions of dollars annually. WOW!
WE ARE NOW STARTING TO BRING THE TRUTH TO THE SURFACE!
THE CANADIAN FORCES……
have found peer support a valuable tool in in recovery. Suicide rate in the forces is low compared to civilian population, but it is still a problem. Every 40 seconds someone in the world dies by suicide, which has taken more lives each year than armed conflict and vehicle accidents.
Mental illness can be treated and many can recover. Looking at someone with a mental illness should be no different than someone with a physical illness. ILLNESSES ARE ILLNESSES! Anyone who is ill should be treated with respect and dignity. Illness can come to anyone and it could stop at your door.
It is the responsibility of all individuals to find out the proper information about any illness or disease and not listen to false rumours or spread gossip that may destroy families and other relationships.
People with mental illness are people with varying abilities, strengths and interests.
While they are ill, they need a lot of support from their families, friends and workplaces.
When they are back in the swing of things, they still need support, but they can also support us when we face challenges in life.
PROVEN TO SUCCEED
Some companies have been opened to provide training and employment for people with Mental Health Issues. One that is very successful is located in Toronto. Fresh Start was started in 1989 and is solely owned and operated by psychiatric survivors.
Employees are trained and work in a positive environment which helps build confidence.
Employees are trained and work in a positive environment which helps build confidence. Ongoing support keeps employees working and out of hospital. Employees who spent 45 days or more a year in the hospital, have reduced their visits to 0 days. This is an estimated savings of $600 per day per employee.
The company has a high reputation and they are praised for their work in the community. Funding comes from the Trillium Foundation and the City of Toronto. There are others, but this just tells us we can succeed if we really want to.
REMEMBER, TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! LET‟S ALL WORK TOGETHER AND DRAW A PICTURE THAT DOESN‟T HAVE STIGMA. THE TIME IS NOW!!!
