[Bucephalus355]

“Ending the stigma against mental illness”?

If anything, as many sociologists have noted, having a mental illness is almost fashionable today. It is not a stigma by any means.

Ever since right after WWII, when housewives seeing a psychoanalyst become so popular, the ability to claim a diagnosis and then talk about all the treatment you do has been something of a social signal.

Having Chronic Depression is not a problem that is solved by increasing “acceptance”. Perhaps it just genuinely reflects the state of our world, or maybe simply the tragedy of what it means to be human, to suffer from original sin.

I do not doubt Mr. Wheaton’s illness or pain. But his focus on “acceptance” as the ultimate end is frustrating.

[pryce]

I don't enjoy seeing comments dismissing the stigma of mental illness. I have seen friends in industry targeted and pushed out after disclosing mental illnesses, and the simple fact that awareness campaigns exist and you happen to see them doesn't mean that stigma doesn't exist.

Awareness campaigns are a response to stigma and a recognition of the damage it does. Mistaking their presence for the stigma being removed is an error of familiarity and attention (you notice the awareness campaign more than you notice the stigma).

Lastly, consider that the point of the awareness campaign is to lessen unnecessary suffering, not to cure Chronic Depression, so to dismiss it as failing at a criterion that was never the intention behind it seems odd.

[camel_Snake]

The acceptance of mental health issues can manifest itself in many ways. There is much more to it than just discussing anonymously online or going to see a psychiatrist.

Acceptance means I can tell interviewers honestly that the gap in my resume is because I was dealing with undiagnosed mental health issues and have that not be any worse than "I saved up money and wanted to travel and enjoy myself."

Acceptance means I can talk honestly with my friends and family about my lack of self worth and still believe they'll care about me.

Chronic depression certainly isn't 'solved by increasing acceptance'. But it does lower the barrier to seeking treatment and addressing the root causes.

[beders]

It's not fashionable to suffer from chronic depression dude. Not AT ALL.

And there was no 'original sin'. That is just a bunch of baloney.

[kkielhofner]

In some social circles bragging about your psychiatrist/analyst/psychologist/etc carries status just as much as any other service provider - doctors of any kind, brand of car (and dealer), where your kids go to school, where you get your hair done, etc.

Throughout my life when I've told someone I have depression it's been remarkable just how many times people have responded (almost enthusiastically) with "so do I!". Anecdotally many people I know have been given a prescription for a "general-practitioner-picks-an-SSRI" at some point in their life. They then believe they have/had depression because they take/took an anti-depressant medication.

Unfortunately for me when I describe my feelings and experiences in every case (so far) the other person with depression responds with something along the lines of "Wow, that's not nearly the same thing. I guess I didn't really have depression. I'm sorry." In virtually all of these anecdotal cases I believe them to be right. Depending on how much I probe it's often pretty easy to discover they were sad because they should have been - death of a loved one, negative changes in living conditions, etc. From a diagnostic standpoint this has been very controversial:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4204469/

More than likely they (and many people diagnosed with "depression" and given anti-depressants) don't have depression. They have a general practitioner with 2300 patients who can spend 12 minutes with each of them once a year. If someone comes in and complains/mentions/hints at a few key words for which there is a low cost, relatively low side effect profile drug, the standard approach for these physicians is to prescribe $DRUG and shuffle on to the next patient. At least 80% of anti-depressant medications are not prescribed by psychiatrists to people that don't have a diagnosis of depression:

https://psychcentral.com/news/2011/08/08/more-antidepressant...

Severe mental illness (of any kind) to the point of hospitalization absolutely carries stigma. In 2018 it's still often referred to as the "loony bin", "nut house", etc.

Here's an interesting experiment - reference a hospital stay to a group of people for a physical ailment. Then, replace "I had back surgery" with "I was suicidal" and witness the range of reactions, awkwardness, judgment, etc for the latter. Show someone razor marks from self-mutilation or a suicide attempt the way you might show off any other scar (from injury, surgery, etc). I assure you, in the vast majority of cases, you will get a different reaction. That's stigma.

I should also add that, similar to my anecdotal experiences above, various stays in various mental hospitals has shown me depression and mental illness that can't possibly be described as other than "something out of a movie". Entire units of patients with various mental illnesses to the point of being completely non-verbal and unable to function, catatonic, etc. Patients with self-mutilation marks covering their bodies to the point where they were cutting on top of existing scars. Group sessions with patients that describe horrors and experiences in their lives that Hollywood couldn't come up with. There are no upper or lower ranges to what people can experience, it's always only relative to the individual and empathy can only take you so far without having experienced something yourself.