Remove The Stigma Of Mental Health Issues

You know what I don't understand?  I don't understand the continued stigma attached to mental illness.  Statistics suggest that one in six Americans are living with a mental illness.  One in six..............  16.7% of the population....................

Mental Health Statistics From The NIMH

One in six....................

If one in six Americans mange metal health issues, why is such a negative stigma still attached to mental illness?  "He is nuts."  "She is psycho."  "They are crazy."  "He is out of his mind."  "She is insane."

One in six...........................

Can we not forgo the labels, and try to accept that these people are managing a legitimate health condition?  Why are those that are mentally ill met with such cruelty and lack of understanding?  Is it because the majority of people have never experienced mental illness?  Does that make it more difficult to empathize Most of us haven't had heart attacks either, but heart patients aren't treated with the contempt that seems to greet most mental health patients.  Shouldn't mental health patients be given the same deference as folks who have other health issues?

One in six.........................

Is mental illness less real because it affects the mind instead of the body?  Is it so difficult to grasp that an illness is an illness regardless of the body system affected?  And the one that really makes me furious is when others suggest that the mentally ill are faking their conditions to get attention.

One in six.........................

I personally have friends and family who are afflicted by mental illness, so I take this personally.  I take it personally when mental health patients continue to have to fight negative stereotypes in addition to their illness.  I ask you, dear readers, to stand with me against the stigma of mental illness and to help me foster understanding of these conditions.  With one in six people affected, you too can make a difference.

Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.