1 in 6 adults suffers from brain-related illness such as depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD and schizophrenia. It’s likely that someone you work with, are related to or share some part of your life with, is suffering right now. Maybe you aren’t even aware of this because of the huge stigma some people still place on mental illness.
Bring change 2 mind.org is a national anti-stigma campaign “working to eradicate the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness through widely distributed Public Education Materials based on the latest scientific insights and measured for effectiveness”. Click here for more details
Comments
41 Comments so far
JE0Fbn Thanks again for the article. Will read on…
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Queensland has a mental health anti-stigma campaign see
http://www.changeourminds.qld.gov.au/
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Hi everyone
Reading your stories tonight makes me sad but buoyed by the number of courageous people affected by mental illness. Many of us have friends and family who we know suffer. I am a journalist and would be interested in talking to anyone who wants to and perhaps do a story that may raise more awareness.
You don’t have to use your name you can just be a voice who has their own story. I don’t really know where this thread started but if you want me to contact you let me know and I will work out how to send you my contact details. Best wishes
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Please contact me via email I would really like to help you with this project. It’s a subject I feel very strongly about as I have Bipolar ll. Feel free to contact me.
Cheers, Sophie.
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Hi your more then welcome to pass your details on to me for your project
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I’d be happy to share. I have written on my blog before about Borderline Personality Disorder (my blog is about finance, so pretty unrelated) because I wanted to help raise awareness. http://kylieofiu.com/2011/10/mental-health-month-borderline-personality-disorder/
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I admit that I used to be judgmental (unintentionally) about mental illness until a combination of a few awful life events happened to me all at once and I just couldn’t cope. I developed an anxiety disorder that no amount of positive thinking, support from my family or amazing new partner could fix. I cried and cried every night for a year until my partner gently yet firmly told me to see a psychologist. It took counseling, natural medication and group support from a church group to heal me and gradually the weight was lifted and the anxiety went away.
So now I appreciate that mental illness really can affect anyone – not just people who are born with a disorder – but ‘normal’, well-balanced, positive people like me. There was never a question of just getting over it – in te end it was spiritual, chemical and involved a complete reworking of my brain’s trigger responses to stress due to post-traumatic stress that I could not control and were not my fault.
It has truly changed my appreciation of mental illness – that it really can happen to anyone, and that only proper treatment can heal it (at least the post-traumatic depression/anxiety kind).
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I have heard a number of comments lately which have made me realise what a problem this is. Firstly, on a number of occasions at work, more than one person has commented negatively on someone’s “supposed mental illness”.
The other day, a friend commented that she could never be a psychologist because she would just tell people “to get over it”. It’s so depressing! ;-0 Also highly insulting.
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Some families suffer from diabetes, some suffer with cancer, My family is riddled with mental illness… I have severe anxiety and depression, my biological dad has BiPolar Type 2, one of my sisters is BiPolar type 2, My Step-Dad has Major depression, his two sisters both have BiPolar type 1…. my uncle has PTSD…. I ofter get very anxious about how my two children might be affected with one of these and how and what can I do to help them… However I am so grateful that there is becoming more awareness and understanding in the greater community, so if by chance that one or both of my kids do happen to have a mental illness, we will hopefully diagnose it early and get the right help from the start!
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If you’re feeling concerned there is no harm your children seeing a psychologist that way they can talk about how they feel and learn ways to cope.
My mother has only just started getting treatment after 30 odd years of suffering from a mental illness and with her ups and downs, manipulation and controlling behaviour it definitely affected me (I started getting treatment at 21 and I’m now 27 but more aware of my personality traits/behaviours). Not saying every child is affected but when we are young we copy what we see, its just like when we learn to walk or talk….but it effects us more with relationships and our own opinions of ourselves.
Just an idea.
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This ad made me cry! I have bipolar disorder, diagnosed at last at 40! There is stigma, and sometimes from the most unexpected quarters (my Mother-In-Law for example). I also work with young people who have mental health disorders and am constantly gobsmacked by the ignorance they encounter from adults about their illness.
I agree with “a little :/” who says we need an Australian Campaign like this, but this is a great place to start.
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It’s actually 1:5 in Australia, all the more reason to reduce stigma. I’m studying mental health at the moment as part of my nursing degree and it has really opened my eyes – to be honest I didn’t know much about it until now. Education about mental illness is SO important, it’s the only way to understand and accept.
That ad was very moving, very well done.
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What a lovely add
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wow..this ad gave me goosebumps. Last year my sister suffered a severe emotional breakdown due to work stress and has since been on medication for depression and anxiety. It was horrible to witness.
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Brilliant, thanks for posting and keeping this issue out there for people to think about.
Wouldn’t it be great if they’d run clips like this on tv during primetime viewing instead of ads for cars.
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My boyfriend of 5 years had schizophrenia… it was the hardest 5 years of my life, so I take my hat off to everyone who has to stand by and watch these ilnesses take over the lives of those that they love.
It took me a long time to recover from that relationship. It was very abusive and caused me a lot of pain and I truly don’t know how people can be in relationships with people so sick. And yet, I know a lot of people out there are.
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I am a mental health nurse, and this made me smile alot!
I hope we can someday remove all the stigma that comes with mental illness. It will take time, but this is a great start. These kind of campaigns have a way of reaching people and encouraging them to think of it from a different perspective.
Mental illness is not something that affects just some people; it’s in all of our communities, we have to address it together and get the support needed to manage it better. Good work for putting this link up:)
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I think its great someone has made an ad like this but the organisation is based in the states therefore some of the information isn’t relevant to us in Aust. I wish we had a campaign running here because the stigma attached to mental illness is heart breaking.
I am 27 have suffered from depression for 11 years, I have an anxiety disorder and recently been diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder (I don’t blame my very dysfunctional family/parents for my illness but I do believe the behaviours my mother has have played a part in my illness, we learn/copy what we see). I’ve had employers tell me there is no such thing as depression which has made working with them a little harder especially when I have down days. On top of this I have had the last 2yrs off working due to getting really ill (triggered by work stress ie lack of support whilst running a finance department, being sexually harassed by the ceo, bullied by senior management) and deciding a visit to the hospital the best option to keep me alive. Getting back to work is worryingly hard and I often feel like I’m lying/hiding a part of me because I can’t tell people in an interview WHY I had time off. I had a recruitment agency actually tell me that they couldn’t take me on because I’ve been out of the workforce for too long….this was at the 15month mark. The only positions I can get are temping ones which isn’t too good considering I want to be able to live a life without worrying about when I’m next getting money. I actually have some large debts and they are getting worse.
I have been fortunate to have very supportive friends but my family haven’t been. I take my medication and I love going to my psychologist, gp and psychiatrist because they all help me get to where I want to be, even if they all cost me a fortune!!! Recently I found out there is a serious lack of services for someone like me…..I live in melbourne, unemployed (not because I want to be!!!!), rent is over $800 per month and get $566 from centrelink. I had a month where I couldn’t pay my rent and not one of the emergency housing services which are supposed to help people who are homeless or struggling financially because I was over the age of 25 (yes, I’m too bloody old) or because my rent is more than 50% of my total payment from centrelink. I was actually told that I should just move and live somewhere cheaper by both a government agency AND my local member of parliaments co-worker….needless to say I started crying because this wasn’t an option as I would still have to pay any money here as well as money for a new place (somehow that advice was supposed to help me????) I have supported myself for 2 years, moved from Brisbane to Melbourne, I have cashed in my super and set up my own place with my own furniture all the while not asking anyone for help and yet when I do ask charities and government agencies for help I get told “no”.
I have found this to be the greatest kind of stigma because to get help I should either be on the street, back in the hospital or under 25. I want to help others who suffer from a mental illness and looked at being a big sister or write for one of the not-for-profits but again I’m too old or too young, don’t have any qualifications so I started up my own site which has exceeded what I thought it would have although I didn’t have any expectations. My site is about my journey, articles about meditation; mindfulness and other things I use to help me.
I think organisations like headspace are great but are too focused on ‘famous’ Australians and not everyday people (plus if you aren’t under 25 they won’t help. I fall into the ‘no services available group’) and don’t get me started on the whole funding debate because reducing medicare rebates was the biggest load of CRAP!!!
Sorry for the rant by I am one of hundreds who face issues like this and I often feel like we don’t get a voice and I want other people to see the struggle we face. I always use the example of people who have cancer or women who have breast cancer are allowed to talk about it and tell employers and get hired without strange looks, so why can’t I? I would rather have a broken leg or arm at times because its also easier to explain and people believe you because they can see it. Plus there are less people ‘imitating’ such injuries.
END OF RAMBles, sorry!!!
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Oh and if you know of someone who is suffering take the time to research depression or what they have, I had some friends do that because they didn’t understand and it was the GREATEST gift I’ve ever received. Don’t just say ‘things will be fine’ because when you feel down and hate living nothing feels fine. Tell that person you love them and you will be there when and if THEY want to talk. Think about the things which make them laugh and bring that little bit of laughter into their world. Don’t ever tell a person just to get over it or that everyone has bad days because when you want to kill yourself, hearing that everyone else has bad days doesn’t even compare and if you know someone who has said they want to kill themselves don’t tell them they are selfish or tell them to think about their family because you should try living in a great big black hole for days, weeks or months and being told to live for your family DOESN’T take away the pain and the darkness.
Also if you have a friend or family member who goes to the dr’s offer to go with them, you don’t have to go into the appointment, just wait in the waiting room. If they have an appointment and you can’t go with them ask how it went. Don’t ever just expect them to tell you because most people don’t want to hear about how an appointment went ESPECIALLY when its about depression.
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Oh my god, I hear you.
I have bipolar, borderline personality disorder, attention deficit disorder and severe anxiety, and am only now (after 7 years of hit and miss therapy and medication) starting to get on track. Before that, I would be in situations where I had to decide between rent and medication.. knowing that if I didn’t pay my rent, I’d be on the street, if I didn’t buy my medication, I wouldn’t be able to keep looking for a job, so there was no point to any of it. I couldn’t access crisis housing (they told me to come back when I was pregnant, in a domestic abuse situation or had a drug addiction..) – no bloody wonder so many people commit suicide when there is literally no other course of action.
I hate the fact that the government caters to people of a certain age, and ‘garden variety depression’ – the type that really is a little blip on the radar and might need a couple of sessions of counselling. We know now that I’ll need weekly sessions and five types of medication for the rest of my life.. it’s just disgusting that the government assumes that if you have a long term mental health problem, that you will magically have the resources to treat it, even though you are the last person that could be expected to reliably hold down a well-paying job.
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Glad I’m not the only one who has had this issue!
I joke that I should just have a few kids and then maybe the government will be interested!!! haha
I told the lady from my local members office that they should seriously look at the lack of funding and support for someone like me….yes, I actually did ring my local member of parliament but she was in canberra ‘working’, but hey, what do they care (I was a blubbering mess, hyperventilating and distressed). I did get some help from a charity who went against their rules of being under 25 and they gave me $200 towards my rent and then a friend lent me some and the rest I came up with. When I am working I will be sending them a cheque and flowers because they were the only ones who helped me and not just with money but they rang around all afternoon trying to get other places to help me as well.
I hope your journey get a little easier the more you understand yourself and your illness. The best bit of advice I can give you is ask questions and research all medications and therapies because sometimes dr’s and therapists don’t know all that’s out there. I have a gp who thinks outside of the box and one of the top psychiatrists and one of the best psychologists. I am also getting ready to take part in DBT which will be a 2 year commitment and many many hours each week of personal work but I am too determined to be the best I can be and not let this illness rob me of anything else. I’ve lost family and friends and I’ve attempted suicide and now, I’m fighting as hard as I can because I want a family and a good career.
Peace, love and happiness xx
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It’s okay – I’m relatively fine now. I still can’t do as much as everybody else, and sometimes can be knocked out for a week by minor disturbances, but I’m okay.
It just kills me that people will harp on about there always being help available or that there is always an alternative to suicide, but a lot of time, there isn’t. There is no help, no support, and nobody cares. Nobody can pluck you from the edge of the abyss and help you work out solutions to the complex reasons why you were there to begin with.
There are always age limits, income tests, waiting lists, office hours, application forms, verified documents… just the things you need when you can’t even bring yourself to leave the house or think rationally or sequentially.
It’s a total gamble whether you are going to get a bitch psych nurse who tells you to “harden the fuck up, princess” while you are sitting in clothes stained with your own tears and blood or someone who actually wants to help.. and then a gamble again as to whether this person is able to do anything for you.
Suicide becomes a very desirable option when you can’t see a way past your problems or the pain of existing. It’s totally absurd that mental health and crisis services are structured in such a way as to give you even MORE problems to deal with. It drives me nuts that they somehow expect people on the brink of suicide to be capable of orchestrating their own rescue…
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I understand and feel your frustration 100% !!! Such a struggle to get support when you are suffering with a mental illness ! I too have found myself unable to pay rent and its is extremely difficult to get assistance. All the effort involved in getting money from Centrelink or other organisations is often very difficult for those at their worst who find it very difficult to travel to the location, wait for hours, divulge many personal details to strangers, often to be left with an unhelpful outcome!
I would be interested in your site, could you post it here?
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hi elle
my site is http://www.the-inside-out-project.com
I haven’t been posting regularly of late but slowly getting back into it. I even have friends share their stories on there….one a music producer who travels all over the word playing in some of the biggest clubs os, a mother of 2 and another friend who is 23 and works at a hospital in brisbane.
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Hey I just wanted to tell you about my situation and how I manage to see if you might find anything relevant to your life. I have bipolar disorder and ran up huge debts when ill. I went to a free community financial planner who offers unbiased help. They can help you do things like bundle all your debts into one lower payment, negotiate with lenders etc. Truly great people.
There is no help from the government beyond unemployment benefits for the majority of people, mentally ill or not, who find they cannot pay their rent or mortgage. I’ve been all over this. If you have no money and can’t pay your rent no one will give you money. You have to be reduced to going to a homeless shelter.
Centrelink can help you get a job. They have programs for people with disabilities where they pay wage subsidies to the employer to make you an attractive prospect. As for the break, I took a 3 year break. I would just lie if I was going for a job on my own. Say you travelled. Cared for a family member. Whatever. Keep it vague.
If that doesn’t work and you can’t get back on track I wouldn’t keep sinking into debt to cover your living costs. There are two main options. One is to try for the disability if you haven’t already (no limit on attempts). I got it on my second attempt. You need a great doctor who knows you and you need to read the criteria closely to be prepared for their questions. It’s really hard, but if you get it you can make a living between that and the limited work it permits. I do that. You can then try to look for full time work while having the security of a higher payment and a concession card. The other options is studying. You could re-skill. Pick a course covered by Austudy. Austudy and casual work like waitressing for example would be enough of a living if you resolved your debts with the counsellor’s help. Then when you wen for a job it would not be odd at all to be 25 plus and on the bottom rung. You simply had a career change. Lots of people do it. You can also study on the disability.
They might onto something with rent. I pay $550 in Melbourne. In Victoria you can get a bond loan from the government if that helps with moving between places.
Your medical treatment should cost you zip, except for medication. Most medications on the PBS don’t cost a huge deal. I pay around $40 a month for a truckload of stuff. My GP and pysch bulk bill. My psychologist is covered by a medicare treatment plan plus $20 contribution per session from me. If you shop around you can find decent caring professionals who go out of their way to help lower income people.
All ways I piece together my living. No one agency can help you unfortunately. Although, when I was hospitalised in a public hospital they offered me some kind of ongoing support worker who would do things like help fill out forms and navigate this stuff. I didn’t use them as I have a cluey family and they advocated for me. Might be worth seeing if you can get one of those people?
Key for me was resolving my debts with the counsellors help, having a steady payment from Centrelink, working casually and keeping my living costs down.
Good luck, hope some of this was relevant.
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Wow guest what a practical no nonsense guide, awesome job
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I think this is kind of the point.. there needs to be a one contact access point for these services.
So Centrelink can get me a job? What if I’m too sick to actually work a job, but not sick enough for hospitals to accept me? Healthcare is meant to be free, but often times “free psych sessions” turn out to be a measly 5 sessions with a counsellor or a GP, or someone else who is not totally equipped with dealing with persistant, severe mental illness (especially when you have more than one). Not all medications are on the PBS, and with psychiatric medications, you will often find that you have to try a number of drugs in different classes before you find the one that works for you – I know that I am limited by which drugs we can try for me, because some aren’t on the PBS and I can’t afford hundreds of dollars for them.
It’s very easy to give suggestions about what people can do, but the unfortunate thing is that for a person in the grips of a mental crisis, even one of these things is going to be too much to handle. Trying to find a way to deal with seemingly insurmountable problems is tough, even when you are completely okay, but for someone who is on the brink of suicide… it’s really not going to work to tell them to go to centrelink to find a job, or move into a cheaper apartment.. when you can’t even get out of bed or have a shower, how are you going to do these things?
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I know how you feel. I have BPD too. I am extremely fortunate to have a very supportive family. It is hard getting the treatment necessary especially as it is so expensive and if you move somewhere cheaper to live the services you need aren’t there.
I hope you find a solution to the money side of things soon. And great job on geting the help needed for BPD.
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what a great initiative, just a little disappointed to see this as a quick and dirty story rather than a longer feature article.
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I love campaigns like this. My beautiful partner suffers from depression, and when he attempted suicide early last year, the reaction from others was awful and ignorant.
Despite his depression, he is an amazing man. Im lucky to have him, no matter what ignorant opinions have to say
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Poor guy.. you are lucky to have each other though.
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Love it love it love it. I have been exposed to mental illness through several family members (depression, suicide and bipolar) and not only does it affect the whole family – it can even affect the next generation. My mum lost both her parents to suicide when she was 12, and the resulting stigma she experienced during the 50′s was another cross to bear beyond the enormous loss. She was made to feel so ashamed by the rest of her family that she didn’t tell her school friends she had lost both parents until a few years later.
Thankfully mental illness, including suicide, is far better understood by society today. Campaigns such as this one can contribute to this wonderful progress. Sometimes I allow myself to be cynical about suicide prevention causes, but on good days I think every tiny effort helps and should be applauded.
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In Australia the prevalence of mental illness is actually 1 in 5 adults in any given year and almost half of the population at some point in their lifetime. It’s sad that this stigma exists. I’m always pleased to see these kinds of campaigns. Thanks for sharing.
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It’s great to see awareness raising posts like this. However in my own experience people just don’t care. If and when you tell people they retreat which makes you feel more a lonecand rejected. or tell you you’ve got nothing to be depressed about. Essentially snap out Of it. It’s a vicious cycle.
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It is so good to see a post like this.
We all have our own demons and they are only demons because media and society says so. Since articles like these and more of society’s increasing awareness I have been much more comfortable in confessing to my own demon: ADD.
I struggled to admit this for years (even though its a simple chemical imbalance) because there was so much stigma and criticism associated with admitting you have a mental illness. Without diagnosis, self awareness and treatment (not necessarily medication) ADD can affect every single area of your life and you won’t know until you’ve f**ked up everything in it. Telling my friends and employers has become easier since so much acceptance has come about.
There shouldn’t be so much stigma; it makes people afraid of facing their demons and seeking help which will ultimately affect their entire life.
The most important thing, I believe, is not the chemical imbalance itself, it’s the self awareness and therefore what you do about it that matters.
Thanks Lana.. Seriously, thanks
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Hi Leonie,
I have ADD too, and have copped incredible amounts of stigmatization about it – even more so than about my bipolar. People have said that ADD doesn’t exist, that it’s just an excuse for being lazy, only children have ADD, if I really had ADD then I would be hyper (which is a common misconception), etc.
My boyfriend just accepts the little strategies that I have to combat my ADD (having medication alarms on my phone, colourful post-its around the house reminding me of things like putting the milk back in the fridge, or spending fifteen minutes every morning typing up a list of what I am going to do that day, so I don’t spend it all staring into space. It’s really hard to deal with all that (as well as my bipolar, anxiety and borderline personality disorder) without people telling me about how wrong or abnormal I am too..
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I wasn’t aware that ADD/ADHD was considered a mental illness. I thought it was a behavioural disorder, at least that’s what they told me when my son was diagnosed with it. Even though it does appear in DSM V.
I do get you that a lot of people think it’s a bullshit disorder and just an excuse for poor parenting. If I was so crappy at it, all my kids would have the disorder! One of my bosses even put it out that it was just a myth at a team meeting. Fortunately one of the psychologists put her straight. I thanked her afterwards.
My son doesn’t medicate atm. He says he’d prefer not to. He is still rather impulsive and forgetful and has caused some chaos in our lives, but one day, hopefully we’ll be able to step back.
Oh, I consider us very lucky in comparison to some.
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That is a great ad. Lovely to see Glenn Close there with her sister. That helps make it all the more normal. I know lots of people who suffer mental illness and am happy to think it might be more accepted and understood.
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Lana, this is a beautiful ad.
The other one with the Downs Syndrome – ‘we’re more alike than different’ deserves a post all on it’s own. With news today that an early detection test is on its way I think it important women know more about the condition.
I have a good friend who had a boy with DS. He had leukemia and sadly died but he was the most beautifully delicious child. I also had an unexpected late in life pregnancy and was frantic that the amnio would show DS. I was already distraught about the pregnancy and feeling pressure from my husband and in-laws to terminate the baby regardless. I had in my mind that if the baby was DS that I’d abort but now, in a more rational state of mind I know that I would have never forgiven myself.
It seems to me that now days terminating a DS baby is a bit of a given and I think it important to remind a new generation of women that if they’re up to the challenge, the rewards are magnificent. To each her own, of course, but it could be info that helps someone.
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Just wanted to share my ideas on this..
My brother is intellectually disabled, and I already know that when my parents eventually die, it will be my (and my sisters’) responsibility to look after him. I love my brother so much, but it will still be about “looking after him” – another duty added into my life. Yes, if women are willing to sign up for parenting a disabled child, the rewards can be magnificent. My brother is fantastic and I’m so grateful he is in my life.
However, the cost isn’t all to the mother of the child. My brother suffers terribly with the knowledge that he has sisters of above average intelligence – despite being assured constantly about all his wonderful strengths and what unique qualities he brings to our family, he recognizes that he is just not as smart as us.This has led to him being quite depressed and resenting himself.
The other cost is.. well, me. I know that my future will revolve around looking after him. I know that personally I would terminate a baby with DS, because I already know that looking after a person with a disabiity is a definite part of my future, and I have no wish to double that.
So yes, women should go for it if they are up for the challenge – I’m certainly glad my Mum had my brother. But they should also realize that it’s their decision, but it affects the course of other peoples’ lives – they need to think about what their choice means for the person they would be giving birth too, as well as the family they are born into.
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You are so right, Anon. I think one of the main reasons disabled babies are terminated is because of the terrible worry of ‘what happens when I die.’ I know that I didn’t want my children to have to carry such a burden.
I’m so conflicted about this issue. One one hand i totally understand terminating but on the other I see that the best in people is bought out when they face such difficulties. I just worry that as a society we are pushing the idea of social inclusion for all but aborting babies because they are ‘different.’
Either way, I’m preaching from a rose coloured hill where I’ve dodged a bullet, not fighting at the coal face like you and your family.
All the best to you, Anon, I admire you and your family.
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