Stigma as addressed at the individual level can be traumatic or even devastating to witness.  We all are guilty of stigmatizing people, just as we may be a victim of stigma.  It is the perfect vehicle of hypocrisy and hypocritical behavior.  I am guilty of this, I freely admit it.  Having lived 50+ years on the planet I can think of many times and ways I have stigmatized people based on my rubric of what an intelligent individual should behave like.  I have also come to the defense of people who were being stigmatized.  If anything the human condition is one of imperfection and arrogance.  We all must reflect on this and see how we can improve.  We can’t eliminate the behavior as it is a weakness of the sociological conditioning we all practice.

Mental Illness is one of those stigmatizing illnesses that really digs at me.  The stigmatization comes in the form of people shunning the individual because of their illness.  The lack of understanding. The lack of empathy.  The failure to understand that scientifically a mental illness is a brain illness.  This stigma has more to do with the perpetrator than the person who suffers with the illness.  The shunning comes from discomfort and avoidance of behavior the illness creates.  If we treated mental illness (illness of the brain) like a physical illness we could create a paradigm for the development of empathy in all things medical.  Unfortunately the people (insurance companies, primarily) create an environment that prevents full treatment.  A mental illness is a lifelong issue, not a quick fix.  

I have personal experience with mental illness.  My severe depression diagnosis wasn’t made until I reached my 40’s.  After seeking treatment and counseling I have reflected on the causes and sought patterns in my memories of family and community.  I’m sure I suffered from severe depression since childhood.  I feel a contributing factor to my illness is society’s ignorance of the  worldview.  Everyone is so obsessed with their individual selves, they stop caring about the people around them whether they be family, neighborhood, city , county, state, province, country, hemisphere, and planet.  The idea that self is more important than that list defies logic for me.  It creates a paradox of negative thoughts.  My brain has always been wired to think that my community is greater than me.   

Here is my question for you dear reader.  How has mental illness affected your life or the lives around you?  Don’t answer that question for me.  Answer it for yourself.  Did you shun someone for their illness?   Did you distance yourself from them because their behavior made you uncomfortable?  If you suffer from an illness did you isolate yourself?  If we break down the barriers of what mental illnesses are, I feel we can reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.  Stop saying that person is crazy.  It just loads the truck of stigmatization.  Find out who they are.  Don’t be confrontational.  Just be there to learn and be empathetic.  All people deserve to have a place in their communities

Next up, substance abuse and the legal issues that come with it.  I hate to burst a bubble, but just because someone uses an illegal narcotic or gets drunk and gets behind the wheel and crashes doesn’t necessarily meet the criteria of a bad person.  These people have made a bad decision or several bad decisions that have become a problem.  The culture of America creates an everlasting stigma on people that fell into these behaviors.  They lose their livelihood or career while they deal with the legal system.  They could have an IQ or skills that blow our minds, but these mistakes keep them from holding a career because a felony appears on their record.  We never ask why?  We just judge…

Why do these folks abuse drugs or alcohol?  What are they reacting to?  Is it an escape?  A trauma response?  Are they medicating a mental illness?  Were these individuals taught by their families that this is the best way to solve a problem by getting high or drunk? Were they a victim of circumstance first?  Is it fair that we stigmatize these people for their transgressions?  I don’t think so, but how do we fix our system to include all the shades of grey?  Herein lies another weakness in the human condition.  We function in a binary or black/white world of good or bad behavior, rather than a world where the choices of the moment are weighed with the life of the individual.  No, I’m not excusing a consequence for an action that may have harmed others.  Rehabilitation requires more understanding and assistance than a jail cell or probation can offer. 

Divorce is another stigma issue.  Here is where religious belief punishes those who get a divorce.  The whole marriage vow where a couple marries into the church of Christ and the woman honors the man…  blah blah blah is just crappy behavior control.  Why should they be punished from receiving the Eucharist over this sin?  If the congregant repents and asks for forgiveness the issue should be finished.  I would rather see the couple divorce than live unhappily with each other.  People change, and circumstances change so let it be.  Elizabeth Taylor married seven different men, but somehow her Hollywood image never suffered from her tragic love life.  Why should it be any different for you or I?  Black/white and binary judgments creating stigma…   ….(rhapsody on hypocrisy)

I’m guilty of producing stigma.  I know… …you are too.  It’s okay.  If we are aware enough to see our errors we can fix them.  I imagine after another millenia or two our species will evolve enough to recognize the world is far more complex and a different way of structuring our social relationships is in order.  I’m hopeful that someday we will be smart enough to overcome our social stigmas and celebrate our individual eccentricities and differences.  I dissent with the use of stigma…  That means I dissent with my hypocritical behavior…  What’s that saying?  If I recognize that I have a problem I can fix that problem…  Moral of this stigma series:  reflection and atonement of self can keep you humble while serving your community.  No one is 100% innocent.  It is time to remember that…  Do your best…  Life is short…   so it goes…