Really wobbly

[eth]

Chicken and egg there @Zoe7 

[Zoe7]

Yea I guess so - we need to have more people to tell their stories but the wider media need to be on board to tell them - but without the intial exposure we don't have enough people with the confidence in a judgemental world to do that. It is therefore often left in the too hard basket @eth  and that doesn;t benefit anyone.

[frog]

@Zoe7  @eth  @Bunniekins  totally agree that more complex mental illness is not yet accepted in the public arena. I still take heart from stories like these though, because when I was first diagnosed with depression (which was not the half of it, but anyway) there was heavy duty stigma associated with it. Things have changed for the better, and I hope they will continue to. I think when most people actually meet someone like you, or me, they are ok, but the media has a lot to answer for in terms of crime reporting among other things. Humans are afraid of difference - we haven't evolved much on that front.

One thing I'm passionate about is neurodiversity. As a concept it grew out of the ASD community, but can be extended to anyone with a significantly different brain/experience of the world. I have read that neurodiversity is the final frontier in terms of prejudice. I take heart from how far we've come on sexuality and gender in recent times but I fully appreciate how frustrating and demoralising it can be with the lack of progress on the mental health/illness front.

[Zoe7]

I agree completely with you @frog  There is still a long way to go. Forums such as this one should be a testament to how far we have come already that we can openly discuss MI in real terms and that has to be a positive. But there is also such a lack of understanding in the wider community and a lack of knowledge despite the more recent attempts to de-stigmatise depression. It is only through increased exposure and people wanting to understand MI that that stigma can be reduced further for both depression and other forms of MI but that all takes time and a collective change of mindset that often takes generations to embed.

[eth]

Wise words @frog  and @Zoe7.   

I think there's still a fear of consequences about disclosure of MH challenges for lots of people (myself included).  As the parent of a non-binary transgender adult I do agree that we've come a long way in terms of gender id and sexuality, but not everyone has.  In my family there is still a lot of stigma about both.  But it's only by spreading the knowledge in both areas that things will change.  It's not an easy road by any means on either front but we persist.  Being able to talk and share ideas so openly in the forums helps a lot when working out the best way to share the information in real life. 

[Zoe7]

Totally agree with you @eth  there is still a very long way to go with MI, gender id and sexuality but the conversation has started and that has to be a good thing.

[eth]

True that @Zoe7 

[Shaz51]

thanks for sharing that @frog 

[Shaz51]

@frog, checking in to see how you are xoxo, hope you are ok

[frog]

Hello @Shaz51 thanks for checking in. How are you?

I'm struggling. Just want to hide and sleep.

Must go to work and dreading it.

Take care friend.