We Fear What We Fail to Understand

Originally posted on Jill's Experiences with Mental Health , Stigma, Alzheimer's Disease, Grief & Grieving & serenade2seniors:

People tend to fear what they do not understand. Very often, people with a mental illness as well as their families  experience self- stigma.

I would like to see a world without misinformation thrown out by a journalist, by a movie director, by someone speaking in anger, and maybe totally unaware of the impact of  a few words said in anger.

Stigma can lead to the avoidance of socializing; to finding employment, and can reduce a person’s access to housing, leads to low self-esteem, isolation and hopelessness. it can result in reduced insurance coverage for in-health services too. There are some general practitioners who are averse to treating a person with a mental illness. One of the most distressing issues is when a mental illnesses causes family and friends to turn their backs on the person who needs their support so badly.

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