Response to Stigma, Mental Illness and Shame

Response to: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/10/27/stigma-mental-illness-and-shame/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WorldOfPsychology+%28World+of+Psychology%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#respond

Jenise Harmon proves a valid point that mental illnesses have less of a negative stigma today than previously. She brings up the fact that many celebrities have come forward with their illnesses and express that even famous, seemingly perfect people can have disorders. But
what she fails to do is mention how it is important for us to educate ourselves on mental illnesses and how to deal with people who have them. Not everyone has someone in their family with a diagnosed mental illness, but eventually we all will have to meet people who do.

To learn more about the myths of mental illnesses: http://www.responseability.org/site/index.cfm?display=134566

Personally, I have lived all of my life with a family member who has been diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder. I only learned recently that she has had these illnesses, and when I did, I was utterly surprised. I wasn’t sure how to react or how to act around her. But as Harmon explains, people with mental illnesses are still people. They live normal lives and medication usually helps them. Even though it took me a while for me to realize, I came to accept my family member and love her regardless of her disability.

And to answer Harmon’s question about whether to leave out medication if friends are coming over, I think it is a matter of personal preference and comfort with who they are. Someone who owns up to their illness, is confident in who they are, and accepts how people might react to their illness will answer this question differently than someone who has recently been diagnosed, has an illness with a very negative stigma, or who cares about what their house guests might think. It is a question of personal preference.

But on the other hand, leaving medicine out is not necessarily a safe or smart thing to do in the first place when you have guests over. It is precautious and rational to put away any sort
of medicine. Also, there is such thing as a desire for privacy. “To each his own” is a saying that comes to mind in this situation. You can have high self esteem but still put the medicine away. No one should judge a person for putting away any kind of medicine, whether it is for a mental illness or not. Sometimes people forget that people with mental illnesses did not choose to have these disorders.

The biggest problem I see is a lack of education about mental illnesses. From a teenager’s perspective, I cannot remember learning about them in any specific class. Health class taken
sophomore year might have mentioned a few here or there but not enough to make
an impact. In 2008, a study was conducted that found over 4% of American adults
have a serious mental illness (http://mentalhealth.gov/statistics/SMI_AASR.shtml).
This is a serious issue that schools need to better educate their students about.

The Brink of Change

To take a turn away from the problems of the world, I'd like to change the subject to something a bit more domestic. An issue essentially every high school senior is facing right now: college. The big, flashing, alarming word. College. Just thinking about it makes me nervous. But what is it about this word that makes us so scared?

As a high school senior, it seems as if the road getting to college is the worst part. Everyone used to say senior year would be the easiest, but so far its the hardest. The essay, the grades, the teacher recommendations, the ACT score, the SAT score, the supplements, the Common App, the stress, the lack of a social life. All of these things are part of the long college application process. It seems as if this list is what we are afraid of. There is something about compiling 20 issues together that makes us stressed. And having to deal with these issues in a short amount of time. This huge load of work that must be done is dumped on us and interrupts our normal flow of life.

But the fact people tend to miss is that this is part of life. Change occurs on a regular basis. For some of us, the transition into college life will be the biggest move we will make. So how do we begin to wrap our heads around this? How do we decide where we want to go, who we want to be, what we want to study? Many wise people have told me that sometimes the best thing to do is to simply pick a road and drive down it. To all my soon to be college students: choose a road, drive down it for a while, check out the side roads, and decide whether you want to continue or make a left turn onto another street. It seems daunting, because it is. Personally, I am having issues choosing a road. Eventually, the deadline will creep up on me and I will have to make a decision. But my advice is to think carefully, and choose what your gut tells you. (If you don't like this advice, and want a more qualified opinion, visit this link for a video and explanation on how to survive the college application process: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/14346427/ns/today-parenting/t/tips-how-survive-getting-college/)

And another thing we forget is that college is going to be both what we expect and nothing that we expect at all. Part of what makes college exciting is that we don't know who our friends are going to be or what we will end up studying. This will one of, if not the most important change in our lives. The worst thing we can do is worry and reject the change, because no matter what, college will come. In the meantime, all you high school seniors need to relax, enjoy your last year of high school, and really contemplate what you want to do with your lives. Because the most important turn is coming.

Palestine as a State

Recently there has been much controversy over whether Palestine should separate from Israel and become a UN recognized, sovereign state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has formally filed for statehood through the UN. Debates are still raging on in the UN, the newspapers, and the streets. Today I want to explore the reasons for a Palestinian state, and the reasons against one. For a more detailed explanation and update of what is going on, it would be helpful to visit this site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13701636

So what will happen if the Palestinians gain the independence they desire? Will this change be for the better, or will it cause more disturbances and violence? I have compiled a list of reasons why a Palestinian state would be a positive change and why it would be a negative change. Hopefully this will help both you and I understand the situation better and get a clearer idea of what we believe as individuals. This list is not a complete list, but a few of the points I felt were most important.

Reasons for a Two Separate States

1. Palestine deserves its own independent state, just as Israel did in 1948. The Jewish people felt they deserved a land that they could call home where they could choose to be governed as they wished. So why shouldn't the Palestinians have the same right?

2. Palestinians are a minority, or second class citizens, in Israel. Sure, Israel recognizes Palestinians but the majority of the country practices some form of Judaism. Having their own state would eliminate this problem because Palestinians would be the majority in their new state.

3. If a Palestinian state is not created, more violence and aggression may occur in the future. As seen with the other uprisings going on in the world today, when people don't get what they want, they voice their opinions through protesting. While protesting can be peaceful, it does end it violence. The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not classified as peaceful by any means, especially in the last view years. Delaying the formation of two separate states would only increase tension and violence.

Reasons for Palestinian-Israeli Unity

1. Creating two separate states does not ensure peace. If they couldn't make peace as one nation before, how could they come two agreements as two separate entities? Before trying to become separate nations, they should try to work things out. They live in very close proximity and peace can only help both Palestinians and Israelis.

2. Palestine simply isn't ready to take on independence. They have no stable, central government nor experience ruling over a population. The UN simply cannot hand over statehood without the guarantee for success. You wouldn't give a child a book before they knew how to read.

3. The US. The US will essentially do anything to support Israel, which means no Palestinian state. The US has ample power in this situation. This isn't exactly a reason for unity, but a reason that unity will be most likely kept.

So what do I think the UN should do? Before making a decision, they need to reflect, reflect, and reflect some more about what would happen if a Palestinian state was created. This isn't an easy decision to make; whichever way the UN goes someone will be unhappy.