Welcome to Eliminate the Stigma of Mental Illness.
My name’s Addy. I’ve suffered from mental illness for a long time: depression, self harm, bipolar…but I’m not going to go into any of that here! I have my own blog for those needs, this blog is for you!
Do you suffer from a mental illness?
Maybe you are the carer of someone suffering from a mental illness?
Are you just intensely passionate about raising awareness of mental illness?
Have you just been itching to share your stories and opinions on mental health?
Well this is the place for you. Eliminate the Stigma of Mental Illness is an open blog project for the mental health community. Aiming to bring stories to the world that would otherwise have gone unheard. All you have to do is sign up as a contributor and get writing! Maybe you’ve always dreamed of starting your own blog? Maybe you used to blog but don’t have time any more, but that itch still needs a scratching? Maybe you already blog and are looking to further campaign against the stigma that is mental health by publicising your own blog a little?
Whatever your story is, gather together and share your opinions with the world.
To become a contributor to the blog click here and follow the simple instructions.
Are you any sort of mental health professional? If not, dispensing advice like this can be damaging…
I am not nor have ever claimed to be a trained mental health professional. I have however been a sufferer of various mental illnessess for over half of my life and have had direct experience of caring for those with mental illness (family members are also afflicted with mental illness) – which trust me, isn’t easy if you suffer from mental illness yourself.
My experience with mental health professionals is haphazard at best, and from my point of view sending someone home (where they will be alone) from hospital two hours after they have attempted suicide is somewhat more damaging than the discussion which this blog is attempting to spark. To be completely honest most of the mental health professionals I’ve met haven’t got a bloody clue about what it is like to suffer from a mental illness.
From my experience those suffering from mental illness are actually acutely aware of what may or may not help them, and what can actually be done to generate further understanding of the various mental conditions which affect people – which are often misjudged or misconceived by large numbers of society.
So no, I am not a mental health professional, and I have never claimed to be. Discussion of mental health however MUST take place whether you are a mental health professional or not, so I will continue to write until the stigma of mental health is no longer plaguing those people whose lives are being destroyed through the judgement of others.
Those who suffers from a disease can give better advice then those who claim to be curers of it.
Addy, you keep on doing what you are doing, because it helps!