According to the World Health Organization, mental disorders affect 1 in 4 people. That means if you are not affected, most likely someone in your family or social group is. And yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that only 25 percent of people with mental health issues feel that people are compassionate and sympathetic toward them. This stigma comes from a lack of understanding around the causes of the illness.
A person does not choose to have a mental illness (depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.), just as a person wouldn’t choose to have a physical illness (cancer, chicken pox or the flu). But people with mental illness are sometimes asked to just “snap out of it” or “stop acting weird.” Many clients in our SAJD Supported Living Program have had these comments or questions asked of them. While people offering advice do not mean to be hurtful, these kinds of comments cause shame and lead to isolation.
This comic from robot-hugs.com asks the question, “What if we treated physical illness in the same way?” Definitely something to think about as we strive for a more inclusive community.
By Rachael Kwong
Rachael is the Director of SAJD Supported Living Program where she strives to ensure a high level of independence and quality of life for the people she serves. When not at JFS, she spends her time running, being a mother and learning how to garden with a toddler.
