3 ms·

I don't have any sources, but I suspect you are correct only up to the certain point. People are largely ok with mental illness which doesn't impose on them.

by ezy 14y ago

I don't have any sources, but I suspect you are correct only up to the certain point. People are largely ok with mental illness which doesn't impose on them. Depression, yes, Schizophrenia, no. My impression is that if the condition involves quiet angst, everyone will sympathize -- but if it's about real heavy duty craziness, no one wants to hear about it (or look at it or think about it, etc.).

vacri 14y ago
People aren't okay with depression. They don't care about depression because it doesn't affect them directly, but it still carries a stigma. Try having a casual office conversation about how you were sick last week. Compare the tenor of the conversation when the sickness is 'the flu' versus 'depressive episode'. Every mental illness is stigmatised, it's just that some are more stigmatised than others because they're 'louder'. Part of this is due to mental illness being really hard to understand if you've never been exposed to it (as a sufferer or a loved one of a sufferer).
- ericd 14y ago
  The other part is that whereas the flu knocks you out, mental illness can make you harder to predict, which is potentially more dangerous. Some of that stigma is probably built in by evolution.
  - electronvolt 14y ago
    Particularly bad depressive episodes are similar to the flu/mono/etc.: you are incapacitated, feel like shit, and can't get anything done. Yes, they can flare up without warning: so can the flu. Yes, they can last a long time (DSM diagnosis requires more than 2 weeks): so can something like mono or cancer, which get sympathy, not fear. Stigma is almost entirely a cultural thing: I know of someone who's first manifestation of mania (bipolar disorder, type 1) was in a religious setting... so when she said she heard God talking to her, they were reportedly thrilled. It didn't come out that it was a problem until she was on the plane home and was blessing the passengers (edit: details slightly obscured/changed).
- Evbn 14y ago
  The huge eye opener for me was when I read that if someone has a habit of crying during stressful work disagreements, and you give them a hard time about it, you are being abusive toward someone's mental challenges, not being a tough businessman. That really got me thinking about how deeply "aggresive confrontational competition" infects our intuition about the world, even in supposedly collaborative environments.

by ezy 14y ago

vacri 14y ago

People aren't okay with depression. They don't care about depression because it doesn't affect them directly, but it still carries a stigma. Try having a casual office conversation about how you were sick last week. Compare the tenor of the conversation when the sickness is 'the flu' versus 'depressive episode'. Every mental illness is stigmatised, it's just that some are more stigmatised than others because they're 'louder'. Part of this is due to mental illness being really hard to understand if you've never been exposed to it (as a sufferer or a loved one of a sufferer).

ericd 14y ago
The other part is that whereas the flu knocks you out, mental illness can make you harder to predict, which is potentially more dangerous. Some of that stigma is probably built in by evolution.
- electronvolt 14y ago
  Particularly bad depressive episodes are similar to the flu/mono/etc.: you are incapacitated, feel like shit, and can't get anything done. Yes, they can flare up without warning: so can the flu. Yes, they can last a long time (DSM diagnosis requires more than 2 weeks): so can something like mono or cancer, which get sympathy, not fear. Stigma is almost entirely a cultural thing: I know of someone who's first manifestation of mania (bipolar disorder, type 1) was in a religious setting... so when she said she heard God talking to her, they were reportedly thrilled. It didn't come out that it was a problem until she was on the plane home and was blessing the passengers (edit: details slightly obscured/changed).
Evbn 14y ago
The huge eye opener for me was when I read that if someone has a habit of crying during stressful work disagreements, and you give them a hard time about it, you are being abusive toward someone's mental challenges, not being a tough businessman. That really got me thinking about how deeply "aggresive confrontational competition" infects our intuition about the world, even in supposedly collaborative environments.