Vice President Joe Biden
Patrick Kennedy
My words aren't as powerful nor as well crafted. Nor do I have a name recognized by every household in the country. I use a nom de blog because I have experienced stigma. I fear I could lose my job. I fear I might lose the relative peace and safety I currently feel. A relative peace and safety just discovered in my late 50's.
The most powerful words I've ever spoken were "Please make them stop talking about me!" delivered at my former workplace during my last break, just prior to my most recent suicide attempt, which was followed by my most recent hospitalization. Those words were stigmatizing. No way around that. But I know of at least one person who heard me that day and recognized that I was sick. Not crazy.
Forty years ago I had my first encounter with mental health care. Through all the frustrating years of seeking answers to my questions, seeking ways to eradicate the pain, seeking relief from the never ending ups and downs, I was afraid to speak up. I was afraid of possibly being warehoused in some facility. I was afraid of being ostracized. I was afraid my life would become a shambles. My inability to find answers, to find a way to treat my illness, contributed to my isolation, my pushing away everyone, my chaotic life. Effective treatment and changes to every facet of my existence have given me the potential for a life of peace, a life where I can feel happiness, and a life where I know how to care for myself. That doesn't mean I always do what I need to do. But I know how to do what needs to be done.
I'm grateful that these voices are being heard, but that doesn't mean we need to be silent.
NAMI(National Alliance on Mental Illness) provides me with community, education, peer and professional support, and tools to help me help myself. My peers have added their voices to this website. Stigma disappears when we speak boldly and listen with open minds and hearts.
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