I know that anyone who reads this and has a mental illness know about the stigma that comes along with being mentally ill. None of the jobs I have lost knew about my severe bipolar disorder. I have had psychiatrists tell me not to notify my employer because it would do more harm than good. I believe it is time for us to join together to do away with the stigma of mental illness. How can we do this? By taking pages from MLK and the gay rights/AIDS movement. In the United States, 46% of people will have a mental illness at some point in their lives. Think about that; we stand ashamed or are discriminated against for something almost half the adults in the United States will suffer from at some point. I think it is past time to stand up and make ourselves known. If companies can hold training on diversity and sexual harassment, then they can have some training on mental illness. It is time we demand the Americans with disabilities act actually include persons with mental illness. And why would companies not want to hire persons with Bipolar Disorder; here's a short list of some persons with Bipolar disorder:
Ludwig Boltzmann, Georg Cantor,John A. Mulheren, Florence Nightingale,Emil Post, Gabriele Rabel,Ted Turner, and numerous actors, singers, and artists.
It seems that some of the most creative people suffer from mental illness; and it makes sense that it is that way; we perceive reality different from 'normal' people. We think outside of the box and are more willing to take chances. Great breakthroughs often come from taking big risks.
I don't know exactly what form a awareness movement should take, and I am not the one to lead it. But I am calling for one to start, and will listen to ideas and follow the right leader when they come along.
BB
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