Definition of STIGMA
a archaic : a scar left by a hot iron : brand
b : a mark of shame or discredit : stain stigma
of cowardice>
c : an identifying mark or characteristic; specifically : a specific diagnostic sign of a disease
It is convenient to assign blame to those who have mental illness. Why? Because someone who is 'at fault' is not worthy of care, sympathy or help.
It makes it easy to discard the mentally ill. To treat them like garbage, or to ignore them and hope that they will just go away. After all, they are not like us. They are different. They are broken. They need to just be locked up. Contained.
It is easy to assign blame to illness. If it is your fault, then you deserve your illness. You deserve to be sick. If you deserve to be sick, then society doesn't need to be bothered with finding a solution. After all, you brought this on yourself.
What would happen if there suddenly was no shame left in mental illness? People would admit that they have it. They would go in for treatment. People might begin to look for solutions and push for better medical care and better treatment. Research would be funded. Minds would be changed. People might have to put some effort into treating and curing mental illness. Policy would change. People would care.
Isn't it easier just to blame us? Isn't it easier to forget about us? Isn't it easier to just put us on a bus with a few pills and ship us off to a neighboring state? Isn't it easier to make us be the broken ones instead of looking at a broken system?
After all, it would take some effort to fix a broken system.
So, how can we begin? We begin by refusing to accept shame and stigma if we have a mental illness. We begin by refusing to assign blame if we don't. We begin by not drawing a line between 'us' and 'them'. We refuse to see anything but 'us'. We work together for a solution and for change.
And now for a message from our life coach cats:
Define yourself. Don't let a label tell you who you are.
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