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"You might get a ... Taste for it!?"

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So I was texting someone about Jurassic Park 2, and when I sent it my phone underlined it. So I click it, and it takes me to Google Maps. Apparently Jurassic Park is in New York. Who knew.

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Objective

The objective of National Day Without Stigma is to eliminate the shame and discrimination surrounding mental health disorders by creating communities of understanding, support, and help-seeking. 

Fight Stigma Today

1.  Watch Your Language.

We commonly hear the phrases “That’s so crazy!” or “She’s crazy!” Yet, every time we do that we attach folks with mental health disorders to all things unbelievable, ridiculous, negative, and sometimes dangerous.  Also, remember that a person is not defined by his or her mental health disorder, so always put the person first. For example: Suzy has bipolar disorder.  Suzy is not bipolar.

2.  Chalk Your Support.

Join the National Day Without Stigma movement by chalking positive and supportive messages about mental health. Grab your chalk and download messages to use from our Electronic Action Kit.

3.  Reach out.

Are you or someone you know struggling with a mental health issue?  Speak up and reach out. Getting the right help can vastly improve the lives of people with mental health disorders.

Are you or the person struggling on a campus?  Reach out to your Counseling Center, Health Center, or Dean of Students office to access resources.

Not on a campus?  Search for mental health services yourself, call your primary care physician or local hospital, or call 1-800-273-TALK.  Their operators can point you toward local service providers.

Start a conversation. Bring the National Dialogue on Mental Health to your community. 

Our Goals when Taking Action

To give people the language and skills they need to have a conversation about mental health.

To reduce stigma by promoting awareness about the prevalence of mental health disorders and effectiveness of seeking help.

To create a supportive environment on campuses and in communities in which people can speak up and seek help for mental health.

To eliminate any shame and discrimination experienced by students, whether they experience stigma about their identity, service, abilities, or any characteristics that define who they are.

 Stigma is shame. Shame causes silence. Silence hurts us all.

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Today is National Day Without Stigma. I promise to do my part to end the stigma against those who suffer with a mental illness. No one should feel ashamed of a battle they are fighting. No one should fight alone and in silence. If you are fighting, you are my hero. You are not alone.

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Please Read Before Watching:

Today (Oct. 6th) is National Day Without Stigma. If that word can apply to anything, Mental Illness certainly fits the bill. Millions of Americans suffer from the crippling despair of depression, the seemingly unescapable throat tightening anxieties of what other people think of as just day to day activities; others from confusing and terrifying visions of schizophrenia, or the unpredictable roller coaster that I have personally come to know, bipolar.

(Here are only a few statistics: http://www.nami.org/factsheets/mentalillness_factsheet.pdf)

The thing is, we’re too afraid to ask for help. People think that because they can’t see what’s wrong with us, no matter how closely they look with a magnifying glass, that it doesn’t exist - we should just toughen up.

When we hear about mental illness in the media, it is very rarely associated with anything good. Please, please hear me.

The price of silence can mean the incalculable horror of the loss of life. Over 90 percent (90 percent) of people who commit suicide have some sort of organic brain disorder. Mental illness is an illness, not a lack of character. 

I made this video to communicate how it feels, to me, to suffer from bipolar.

This is Say It Forward Week, with National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness and Recovery on the 7th, National Depression Screening Day on the 9th (there are many free confidential screenings in many communities and online), and National Bipolar Awareness Day on the 10th.

Even if you don’t have a mental illness, I bet you know someone who does - because 1 in 4 adults have a mental disorder. And they might be too afraid to tell you.

Please, I urge you to reblog this message, tweet it, anything (#sayitforward and #bustthestigma) … and add to it! Make a video, take a picture, write a poem. Share your story. I know it’s scary, but you are not alone, and this could be the time.

You are not alone.

Reblog, and I think you’ll find out for yourself.

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