Whose Stigma Is It Anyway?

This is one person's view on Stigma (and where it comes from). I gather it was included in a newsletter ..apologies Margaret...not sure which one

STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION

I note that several mental health charities have launched a campaign, with strong backing and encouragement from the government, to combat discrimination against people like me who suffer mental health problems. While, on the face of it, this might seem an admirable project, it seems very largely targeted at employers, while I would argue that the worst offenders are, the government itself, many service providers and several of the charities who purport to speak on our behalf.

I would, further, charge the government with having greatly increased stigma by its long campaign to bring in a new mental health act which emphasised our dangerousness Fortunately, there was strong opposition to many of its proposals, and it has only succeeded in bringing in amendments to the 1983 act. However, these amendments include the imposition of Community Treatment Orders and a considerable widening of the definition of those who might become subject to compulsion, and this without any increase in funding or any research to confirm that the use of compulsion is, in most cases, anything other than deeply counterproductive. The Mental Capacity Act encourages everyone to make an ADVANCE DECISION stating how they wish to be treated should they lack capacity in the future but specifically states that your wishes can be overridden in the case of mental illness. On top of this, in its aggressive campaign to get people of benefits it has targeted those with mental health problems, completely ignoring the fact that many of us are deeply disabled by our illness and that compliance with the very medication that they wish to compel us to take can exacerbate the problem as it often has highly sedative effects. They have greatly added to the depression and severe anxiety which many suffer and they seem to have no conception that labelling people as malingerers and benefit scroungers not only has a very negative effect on their mental health but is not likely to make them a very attractive proposition to potential employers. I would hasten to add that nothing I have said above implies that there is not very real discrimination against us in the jobs market and many talented and able people who would benefit greatly from suitable employment.

It is also highly discriminatory of the government and the NHS to aim to offer a choice of 4 hospitals for their operations to people, while stubbornly refusing to offer us any choice of ward to us or even ensure that wards meet even basic minimum standards or that there are an adequate number of beds for those who desperately need a safe and supportive environment with lots of TLC at times of crisis. With all this emphasis on compulsory treatment, one might also suppose that medication and/or the latest talking treatment offer sure cures for our problems. This is very far from being the case, pills help some and not others and often have very unpleasant and even life-threatening side-effects and CBT helps some but not others, too. even in our madness we remain human beings and, as such, have very complex and individual needs even if we have the same diagnosis. I know that there are some excellent wards out there somewhere but not the one I was on. It was noisy, unsafe and the environment was deeply untherapeutic and too many are like it and worse – bog standard one size fits nobody. In this context, it is deeply galling to tead the comments of professor Appleby – the ‘mental health tsar’ who seems to regard his role as to defend the government through thick and thin and dismisses widespread reports of sexual and physical assault on wards in the most derogatory way.

Finally, I would like to add that I am hugely fortunate in that I have very good neighbours who know about my problems and understand my needs much better than those who ‘looked after’ me on the ward and I have every confidence that they would look after me properly and keep me safe should I become manic again but there is absolutely no prospect of my consenting to go into hospital on a voluntary basis. By contrast I know many sufferers face nothing but hostility or even the possibility of being attacked by their neighbours.

Margaret Jessop