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bipolar, character, essay, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, stigma, wellness, writing
I am working on an essay about stigma, and I hope to place it in an online magazine. Working on the essay, got me thinking about the word, stigma and how we use it. Stigma is a word I see used over and over again. I mostly see it in the addiction and mental illness circles. It is a word that gets thrown around a lot and not always in the correct way. So, what does stigma mean?
The definition given when you type “stigma definition” into Google, is “a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.” It helps to read the synonyms which are: shame, disgrace, and dishonor, among other less common words.
So, most of us would agree there is a stigma around having a mental illness. What does that mean? Those of us with a mental illness have the “mark of disgrace.” It doesn’t mean that when you do something annoying and people call you out on it, that they are stigmatizing you. It also doesn’t mean that when people don’t like you (based on your behavior) that they are stigmatizing you. But if they are doing these things because of your mental illness, and because they believe you are a disgrace due to your mental illness, then yes, that is stigmatizing you.
I know it seems simple to talk about this, but I see people use their mental illness as an excuse and defense in almost every circumstance. It is one of my goals to point out what is and what isn’t a mental illness. I wrote the other day about the issue of flawed character vs. mental illness. Many of us with a mental illness are kind, compassionate, giving, loving, creative, honest, loyal, etc. In other words, we have a strong character. There are many people without a mental illness that are selfish, mean, dishonest, rude, and hurtful. (In my post I used the example of the people who didn’t bring Christmas gifts, but took a gift from the gift exchange even though it meant others who had followed the rules would go without a Christmas gift). I wouldn’t leave someone without a gift, and I have schizophrenia. I know right from wrong except when I am psychotic which is a whole different world and category.
So, I bring up the word stigma because I see people claim that others are stigmatizing them when it doesn’t appear to be the case. Don’t get me wrong, stigma is real and grows thick especially when you have “the most dreaded of all the mental illnesses.” (I have seen that quote written just that way by three successful authors now. And it doesn’t slip past me, that the quote contains its kind of stigma.) Those of us with schizophrenia are put at the bottom of the rung – having the illness that is the “most dreaded.” What do you think it is like to have schizophrenia and read that quote over and over again by highly educated people? I will tell you what it is like, but that is in my essay. I will post a link to it if I get it published.
Stay tuned, for more on stigma.
The sociologist Erving Goffman had some interesting ideas about stigma. He viewed stigma as an attribute or behaviour that is socially discrediting, and when society judges that a person possesses that stigma, generalizations about the stigma then get applied specifically to that person. It’s such an interesting topic to dig a little deeper into, and it’s great that you’re writing about it.
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This sounds very interesting. I will have to look him up! Thanks!
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would love to read essay!:)
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Thank you! I will post it here if it gets accepted (and when I am finished!)
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YES!! Excellent and insightful!!
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Thank you, Joyce!
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I loved the refreshing take on describing what stigma is. When I had my first ever diagnoses (which was terribly wrong), I often used stigma when someone didn’t agree with me and things like that. I was 15, and can honestly say that I was terrified beyond belief.
Now, 21 years later, I understand the word. And I’ve also succeeded in interpreting what I do into the “mental illness” box or into the “I did this” box. I think understanding comes with time.
xoxo
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Yes, I am sure these things change dramatically over time. My thoughts have changed as I age as well. xoxoxo
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I think that this is definitely important to point out. There is a distinction between someone’s behaviour being directly tied to their mental illness, and being a behaviour that is not a result of a mental illness, but simply a behaviour that is coming from that person’s personality and set of values. I’m curious about where the line would be blurred though. If someone does something awful like harming an animal out of anger, for example, how can we tell if that action is resulting from perhaps an inability of that person to manage their emotions? Perhaps they feel terrible about it afterwards, realising that they did it impulsively because they did not know how to handle their anger effectively. Does that count as a mental illness? Or, does that person just not care about animals, and enjoy hurting them? If we were to tell that person what they did was wrong, are we stigmatising them, if their action was a result of a mental illness?
I hope I’m making myself clear. You’ve given me a lot to think about 🙂
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I think the DESIRE to hurt vulnerable things is probably a result of some form of mental illness – possibly one of the personality disorders. It isn’t a symptom of schizophrenia or bipolar, or depression as far as I know and have experienced and read. It definitely doesn’t fall in the range of “normal” behavior, though. I don’t think pointing out right from wrong is stigmatizing someone. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
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You have made some excellent points to ponder. I think we talk about stigma but don’t really think about it in depth.
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I agree!
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