I work for Mind,
www.mind.org.uk ,and am producing a film for 'time to change' -
www.time-to-change.org.uk . The film is focusing on the workplace. We need real people with real stories to talk about their positive stories in the workplace.
I have a real story, I have been genuinely too ill to work for over 10 years. I tried to work as best I could in the past, & each job landed me, & contributed to serious sections & breakdowns. I try to live as productive a life as possible, & to live as best I can. I am confronted with many challenges & difficulties, but I am a genuine success from where I have come from & with what I have dealt with; & have had to deal with. Am I a failure as I am too ill to work? & a failure because I am not positive every day? That is Disabilityism.
I do not equate social acceptability & work with recovery. Far from it.
I see the main cause of stigma & discrimination in people being blamed for their illness; & being blamed in not doing more to help themselves or pick themselves up. The stigma is in judging those not able to work through illness, assuming that it is their fault, & that they aren't trying hard enough, or that they brought it on themselves; that they are responsible for their conditions.
I have observed all this 'time to change campaign' appears mainly to be addressing is much milder forms of MH problem - usually anxiety, & depression. & it would appear that contrary to changing attitudes; this campaign is sadly reinforcing some.
What are you doing
morelikewater to challenge the stigma towards
all mental illness - not just those with mild enough MH experiences; or those lucky enough to get enough support to return to work, & who remain half positive. Hard as some of us try - we have conditions that do not allow us to feel like we are skipping through fields of flowers with the fluffy bunny wabbits; all the time.
I vainly hoped that the 'Time for Change' Campaign might stand up for the rights of those less capable of standing up for their rights; & for people needing genuine & comprehensive healing, help, support & assistance; that don't get it. I vainly hoped that this Campaign might address the culture that writes people off - stigmatises, blames, demoralises, socially excludes, isolates, demonises, throws on the rubbish heap, & leaves to rot whole sections of society; (& then blames them for it); those afflicted with
severe mental illness; & a culture that accepts such attitudes as normal. I vainly hoped that maybe a voice could be given to those that have no voice; & whom are the most unlistened to & downtrodden section of our World & society. I vainly hoped that the system, & widespread practise of throwing people meds & telling them to 'fuck off' would be challenged.
How naive I was to think that anything would be done to genuinely address the core issues of the ingrained & endemic stigma & discrimination in this society. As far as I am concerned 'Time to Change' is largely a fucking waste of time, & has the potential to be counter productive to those in most need of a change in attitudes; & total paradigm shift. Shame we won't get it; despite wasting millions on it; that would have been infinitely better spent on actually helping those people that need help.
Excuse my French.