OK, I was totally going to make this a video entry, but I am tired and hurting and my brain has the dumb. After three tries I decided to write it out instead.
October is Mental Illness Awareness Month. There have been dozens of wonderful articles posted about Mental Illness in general, breaking the stigma, myths versus facts, and other good information. There have also been dozens of articles and videos about specific Mental Illnesses, what they are really like from someone who has it, and how to support that person.
But I have noticed a pattern in the articles, and it reveals a stigma inside a community that says it is trying to break the stigma.
Most of the articles about specific illnesses have been about depression, followed closely by anxiety disorders. This makes sense, since these are probably the most common. I have also seen a handful of articles on postpartum depression and bipolar disorder. There have also been quite a few on eating disorders and addiction, and I have even seen three on borderline personality disorder. There are articles on the different forms of self harm and how to spot the warning signs of someone who is suicidal.
I have yet to see a single article on schizophrenia. Not one.
This is a trend that I have noticed before. Unless I am looking at a web page specifically dedicated to schizophrenia awareness, it just isn't talked about. Once every blue moon something pops up on the research page of the National Institute of Mental Health or in NAMI's feed, but that is all. Those articles about people's stories, how to deal with it, how to help someone with it, myths and facts, etc. are very few and far between.
It really is a disturbing trend. If ever there were a Mental Illness that needed to be de-stigmatized, it would be schizophrenia. It has been used as a scapegoat for horrible acts and deranged lunatics for as long as it has had a name. This needs to stop - and it has to stop now.
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