Stigma Versus Discrimination
In an article by Ms. Darby Penny in the Recipient Affairs Newsletter, Autumn, 2000, Ms. Penny wrote that "stigma" is the wrong word and that we should be talking about "prejudice and discrimination." I believe that she couldn't be more on target when we refer to the consumer movement as a whole. We truly are discriminated against. The use of this terminology reinforces the issues of human and civil rights that we must all strive to have equally in our society.
When I speak of stigma, however, I am speaking of what we do to ourselves as individuals internally, not what someone does to us. It is rather the internal experience we go through. We do not go around with a label on our forehead that states: "stigmatize me." Stigma must be self-perpetuating. Stigma is the internal feeling associated with our own self-image based on our understanding of how society views those who suffer with a mental illness. It is not something that comes from the public.
The general public truly discriminates against the mental health survivor, if they find out that a survivor is who we are! But should we tell them? If we have the courage to speak out for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters, then we, the outspoken one, should not be bothered by the discrimination but angered by it. As for stigma, if our self-esteem is high enough for us to speak out then we cannot be truly stigmatized by anyone.
I suggest that we take the word stigma out of our self-image vocabulary. This would increase our self-esteem and, in essence, make us stronger individuals who could now join in the fight against the prejudice and discrimination that a survivor of the mental health system has to face.