In 1987, when Glenn Close was cast as Alex Forrest -- the iconic lead character in Fatal Attraction -- Close met with several psychiatrists. She was hoping to learn more about the obviously troubled lead character. Little did she know, she was also about to learn something more troubling about the status of mentally ill people in our society.
Glenn says those visits provided insight towards the stigma around mental illness: "Not only did I not have a vocabulary for it, I realized, startlingly, that [the psychiatrists] didn't either." She realized that even mental health professionals still struggled to speak openly about mental illness. That experience, along with the experiences in her own family, is part of what made her into the mental health advocate she is today.
I recently had the privilege of attending the annual meeting of One Mind for Research at UCLA. With the ambitious title "Curing Brain Disease," the conference was filled to capacity with neuroscientists and policymakers with a powerful vision: that all mankind experiences a lifetime free of brain disease.
A highlight of the conference was "The Science of Stigma," a panel led by Glenn Close. I was fortunate enough to sit in, and to interview Glenn and the panelists afterward.
Glenn shared with the audience the stories of several of her family members who have been affected by mental illness, and the shame and silence that surrounded their care -- or, more often, lack thereof. Glenn's sister Jessie grew up with severe bouts of depression, which culminated in several suicide attempts before she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 47. Glenn's nephew Calen is living with schizoaffective disorder.
Fortunately, Jessie and Calen are now getting the care they need -- but that's not the case for many. With all of the incredible advances in care for mental illness, there is a huge roadblock between people and the treatment they need: the stigma and shame that pervade our culture regarding mental illness.
Committed to eradicating that stigma, Glenn co-founded Bring Change 2 Mind, a non-profit dedicated to ending the shame and stigma that surround mental illness.
Indiana University's distinguished professor of sociology and chair of Bring Change 2 Mind's advisory council Dr. Bernice Pescosolido spoke on the panel with Glenn Close. Dr. Pescosolido was one of the leading researchers in a study that investigated the attitudes of Americans towards people with mental illness. The study examined the period between 1996 and 2006.
She presented the encouraging findings, that there was a significant increase in understanding that the roots of mental illness are neurobiological, and there was also an increase among individuals to support the use of medical treatments for those with mental illness.
That was the good news.
Dr. Pescosolido proceeded to stun the audience with the tragic fact that in spite of improvements in knowledge regarding the cause of mental illness and increase in support for care, there was absolutely no change in prejudice towards those who experience mental illness. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
After the panel, Dr. Pescosolido and I sat down, and she provided further insights :
When we ask people in the United States, "Do you know somebody or have you yourself had a mental health problem?" about 50 percent of Americans say they do. That turns out to be a very potent factor in decreasing prejudice and discrimination.It's surprising and saddening that this stigma still exists. If you had a sister or a cousin who was diagnosed with diabetes, hopefully you'd feel no shame or stigma around discussing their condition and getting them the best medical treatment available. And yet, when the problem is mental illness -- affecting the brain and not the pancreas, like diabetes, -- we often don't know how to respond.
At the same time, about 50 percent of Americans express some kind of rejection of people with mental illness. They may not want them in their neighborhood; they may not want [children affected by mental illnesses] in their child's classroom. They don't want them to marry into their family, and they don't want to work closely on the job with them -- even though they are probably working closely on the job with someone with mental illness who is afraid to disclose because of the stigma attached.
Below is a conversation between Glenn and me, in which she opens up about her family's history with mental illness and the ways it affected her life. Glenn also shares some interesting discoveries regarding her roles in film and on the stage and their connection to the stigma surrounding mental illness. She's joined by other panelists, telling their own stories and sharing how you -- unknowingly -- might be part of the problem.
Here are guidelines from Bring Change 2 Mind on how the words you use every day might be causing more damage than you realize:
Choose your words wisely: Learn about the impact your words can have on those with mental illnesses.
Words are very powerful.
- When we say someone is "crazy" or "that's totally mental" we're perpetuating stereotypes.
- Avoid the verb "suffers" when discussing mental illness. Instead, choose, "lives with mental illness" or "is affected by mental illness."
- Use "person first" vocabulary. When we say a person is schizophrenic, we make their mental illness fully define their identity. Instead, be clear that this is a disease that individuals manage and live with -- "He is living with schizophrenia."
- There are many phrases and terms; "crazy," "nuts", "psycho", "schiz", "retard" and "lunatic" that may seem insignificant, but really aren't.
While there may be times when it is too challenging or simply not possible to politely correct someone else's insensitive use of language, you can always watch your own.
For more information on how you can help:
For more by Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald, click here.
For more on mental health, click here.
Follow Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drpatriciafitz
What Is Mental Health? What Is Mental Disorder?
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Health Support ...
Comments from our participants clearly demonstrate their effectiveness along with our "Best Practice" research using touch with Diabetes patients. http://jerryvestinjuredwarrior.com
Great movie to watch, Ingrid Bergman in "Gaslight"...she seemed crazy but her husband was the insane one just suave and able to play the sane part well.
As to the stigma, I realize that the great majority of people who are mentally ill - oh, pardon me, who are "living with mental illness" - wait, isn't the word "illness" too negative? Should I say "experiencing mental difference"? Or maybe "persons who are mentally special"? Anyway, most of that group of people - whatever we're allowed to call them - are not dangerous or harmful to anyone.
But a few are either directly dangerous - as in likely to engage in violent behavior - or, more often, engage in behaviors that can wreak ruin and disaster on anyone who is close to them, emotionally, financially, and legally. In the effort to support people who have a medical condition that poses no threat toward others, let's not also make people feel that they are villains for wanting to distance themselves from those whose mental illnesses create chaos everywhere they go.
Grow up and have a little compassion. If the worst thing that happens to you today is you are asked not to call someone a certain name, count yourself lucky.
The rape was bad enough, but then the beating for hours was unbearable and I have nightmares on a constant basis. You'd think as an esteemed physician I could get over it, right? Wrong. It happened while I was in med school in the hospital.
To this day, if I have to go to the e.r., I start panicking.
My sibling is bipolar and I have issues with depression. What I have observed over time is that our issues are managed, but they never go away. There is no definitive response that will completely eradicate the problem.
Your soul remembers what happened to you. I am sure that you wish for the memories to go away, but they won't. It is what it is. Hopefully, you have a good support system that sees you through.
My best to you; you take care of yourself, o.k.? And I'll try to, also,
I'm telling you as a physician, take the Klonopin or see a doctor; if you cannot afford one, go to any free clinic you can find. They will refer you to a mental health clinic. Walk in there with your head held high and keep telling yourself 'I'm better than this.'
My very best wishes and hopes for you. I'll be waiting for an update. Someone cares about you and it's me.
What I would like to see, however, is some sort of system, similar to what keeps track of sex offenders, so I can find out if there are any schizophrenics living in my community. Because very often someone with that illness is unmedicated, and an unmedicated schizophrenic is very often violent and homicidal. This happened a few years ago in my community and a child was gunned down in school by an unmedicated "outpatient." Is that perpetuating stigma? I think it's more along the lines of protecting me and my family. I don't want to work with someone with that illness without knowing it. I don't want to live next door to them without knowing, either.
How can you then want people with a more severe illness to be tracked as if they were a danger? How do you not realise they suffer much more than anyone else when they are affected by these illnesses? YES, it is perpetuating stigma. Protect yourself and your family from the ignorant and ill-informed, protect them from a healthcare system that refuses to do enough research to understand these illnesses as they are not fashionable, and will do any research necessary on the more fashionable illnesses such as infertility.
How about a register for the ignorant instead of the ill?