Stigma is still an obstacle to better mental healthcare and better quality of life for people with mental illness, their families, their communities and health service professionals who deal with psychiatric disorders.
Mental illness is still misunderstood, stigmatized or ignored.
People suffering from Depression and Mental Illness are seen by many as lazy, incompetent to work, or as unable to be a family member who fulfulls social obligations.

Just wondered if anyone had any comments about the BBC2 programme on Tuesday night and if they think it might help to reduce the stigma of depression and mental illness?

I didnt catch the show unfortunately, but i just wanted to comment on something you said.

When you said

People suffering from Depression and Mental Illness are seen by many as lazy, incompetent to work, or as unable to be a family member who fulfulls social obligations.

whilst this is the stigma given to mental illness its exactly how i feel too :(

Currently i’m not working. Its suspected i have bi-polar disorder. Working full time hours has never helped and i usually end up leaving because if i didnt i would of broke down.

Now whilst i’m trying to get part time work and focus on my health, the job centre don’t understand at all. They make me feel as though im lazy for not wanting to work full time hours. It is the most horrible experience to rely on benefits and be seen as a lazy bum when its really not my fault i’m suffering from this.

If you broke your leg you would get treatment and noone would dare stigmatize you, but because its a mental illness and it doesnt really show any symptoms it doesnt exist.

It just bothers me because at the end of the day the stigma doesnt help with the illness.

I know what you mean that we are more sympathetic to physical illness than mental illness. It is not hard to see why when it is so difficult to describe depression and people can’t see it.  A broken leg speaks for itself! I feel for when you are trying to find work that you can do given your illness and admire you for looking for work.  A lot of the time it is so difficult to drag oneself out of bed to go to work or you feel unable to cope when you are at work.  It is difficult when people don’t understand.  It is the same with a lot of different illnesses isn’t it that unless you have had it yourself, you cannot possibly understand what it’s like.  You wouldn’t want someone to know how awful depression feels either given how black, and all encompassing it is but it really doesn’t help when you need people to understand.  I really do hope that this will change and wish you all the best of luck.  Helen

People honestly think you can just click your fingers and be better if you have a mental illness. That you can “snap” out of it.  It’s utter rubbish of course because no one would choose to be depressed who has truly experienced it.  They don’t understand how exhausting it is just being you and trying to appear normal.  The more you try the further from normal you feel.
It will take a long time before people are more sympathetic but it does seem that people understand more when they or someone they know have been through it.
I’m glad I found this website. I can at least see there are other people feeling like me and that does help. Thanks to the Daily Mail You Magazine for putting the site in.
xx

I quite agree there is a stigma and in most cases a total lack of understanding. I do remember once not being particularly sympathetic to someone who in hindsight clearly was depressed. I was young and immature and had no idea what this poor lady was going through. She was short and overweight with big rosey cheeks and always smiling - then she changed and would appear looking lost, short of breath and sweating profusely. How I wish I had more understanding.

I’m not sure what my staff must think really - I half expect to get back one day and find no business left! Blimey then I’d surely be going over the edge.