Posted by Jade on March 17, 2000, at 18:47:40
In reply to Re: Inquiry to Tom from a Babbler - to Tom, posted by Alan on March 17, 2000, at 16:59:31
Dear Tom,
The suggestion of using your show to reduce the stigma that is so pervasive to severe mental illness is a very important one. People are more accepting to acknowledging and seeking help for problems of living but this is not the case for severe mental illness.
Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia can incapacitate the person so much that they do not "see" that they have a problem. Because it strikes primarily in the late teens and early adulthood, it is this group who are most effected by the stigma. They have a great difficulty accepting that they have an illness; the knowledge that they have of the illness comes from the media and in most cases it is highly inaccurate and lastly, they are abandoned by their peers who are also stigmatized by the media.
An excellent book which covers this topic so well is titled: Media Madness: Public Images of Mental Illness. Written by, Otto F. Wahl, PH.D
Published by, Rutgers University PressIt can take a couple of years for a sufferer and family members to come to a full understanding of the illness. To quote from the book...
"In addition patients and their families who have achieved an accurate understanding of the disorder may be discouraged and hurt by the public's apparent lack of understanding. One comfort in struggling with a painful disorder is the knowledge that other's may appreciate what you are going through; but when you are reminded, by repeated misrepresentations of your disorder, how little other's understand, that comfort may be replaced by frustration, anger and discouragement."
Your medium can do such a wealth of good for those who suffer from a mental illness. Educating the public can lead to many, many benefits.
Sincerely
A mom of a 21 yr old who has a psychotic illness.
poster:Jade
thread:27311
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000312/msgs/27380.html