Reactions, Take 2!
Similar experiences? You betcha. Tips? Riiiiiiiight. Have I told you about my grandmother's delusion that I've been working at a special needs camp in Maine for the past three years? Usually all I can do is then go on to explain just what the illnesses are. I mean, when you can use real language about Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder and what psychosis means to somebody trying to learn to work, I think it makes more sense to people. All we can do is keep talking about it.I think my having been here for so long makes me forget that there is still stigma out there about mental illness. And it's not just about how we see "crazy people" portrayed in movies and on TV. The average person really doesn't know what it means to hear voices or be totally incapacitated by sadness. Those times when I talk to my family or friends about who we serve are when I realize that stigma isn't about being ashamed, it's about being misunderstood. I realize that I just have to plow through those misconceptions and say, for better or for worse, what I see and hear at work. I have to just use whatever words I can to make that real to somebody, even if those words are awkward or silly or very strong. And I think that's all any of us can do.
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