Inspiring stories about stigma: Stockton Mind Me

The following post may make for raw reading, but I won’t apologise…!

I recently helped out at a workshop run by Chris and Kev of Inspired Youth. We travelled to Stockton and met with some truly inspiring people who shared their stories of mental illness and stigma with us. In my capacity as a writer, I’ve been drafted in to support participants to craft their stories into an entwined narrative.

I’ve looked forward to the workshop since it was first mentioned to me, as battling the stigma of mental illness is something which is very important to me. However, despite preparing myself to hear the stories of the people in the room, I was taken aback by just how powerful their stories were, and how resilient, talented and courageous the people taking part in the workshop would turn out to be.

We started out by discussing the talents of the people in the room. We discussed how having a skill which we can turn to in our darkest times can really help with beating depression or the negative elements of mental health issues. Through baking, writing, lace making or painting, the people at the workshop express themselves creatively, proving their talent in the face of ongoing adversity.

We all know that one person in four suffers with some form of mental illness. We understand that people can find it difficult to face people with mental health problems. We know it makes people feel nervous, uncertain or unsure when they come in to contact with other people who suffer with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s or Bipolar Disorder. The issue is, the less people speak about their illness, the less likely they are to be able to explain what it is like, how it feels, how it affects them. If they cannot speak about this, it will remain a taboo, and no-one will know how to manage it in our communities.

Speaking to people in the room, and gaining their perspectives on both their mental health, and other people’s responses to it, was an extremely emotional experience for me. More than feeling sadness that people have to go through the difficulties of mental health problems was the overwhelming sense of courage, resilience and bravery that each member of the group had when it came to facing up to their problems and finding ways to deal with them.

This workshop opened up my eyes. As someone with Bipolar I, I am lucky that I have faced very little prejudice about my illness. Perhaps this is because I at times lack the courage to speak openly about it, or perhaps I am one of the few people blessed enough to have an amazing support network around me, who love me regardless. Meeting these amazing people in Stockton showed me just how much more work there is left to be done, to awaken society to the damage which stigma can cause, and show the ‘real’ side of the people who have mental health issues.

From a personal perspective, I am not qualified to speak about the effects of stigma, as aside from a few issues in the corporate environment, I have been lucky. The worst comments I get are from people telling me that I am lucky to have Bipolar, as I get the ‘upside’ of mania in addition to the depression. When I hear that, I simply bite my tongue. I don’t feel that I have to go in to detail about how difficult mania can be, how debilitating and embarrassing. I don’t remind people that I have a registered disability that can impair my professionalism at times, and get me hospitalized. I simply try to understand that these comments come from a genuine ignorance about mental health issues, overall. I’m trying every day to be understanding and considerate when I meet ignorant people, just as most people around me are kind enough to try and understand Bipolar, on my behalf.

People who suffer from mental health problems are not weird, or odd, or frightening. They are of course different to the norm at times, just as a stamp collector or top athlete or someone who likes marmite and jam sandwiches is a little different to the norm. I hope that the work I do with Inspired Youth helps in some small way to show this, as it was very obvious to everyone in the group, as we spoke to the people involved in the Stockton Stigma project.

Whether we like it or not, stigma against people with mental health issues is still a strong, raw and ever-present element of our society. This is what Inspired Youth and the people who came along to the workshop are aiming to change.