Comments: More Thoughts On The DC Tragedy and Mental Illness In America
Philip, stand up and take a bow. I applaud your honesty, and straight talk. Thank you. Keep it going!
Posted by Stephany at May 23, 2006 05:05 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/635415.stm
Wednesday, 9 February, 2000, 11:45 GMT
Media 'unfairly stigmatises mental illness'
This is an interesting article from Feb 2000 BBC news
Nice commentary on:
..""But they present an inaccurate picture of the numbers of homicides actually committed by people with mental illness."
..."don't think these newspapers realise how many of their readers are affected by mental illness, or indeed how many of their readers they are potentially offending."
That was written in 2000, looks like the World is still in the dark ages regarding reporting data, etc.
Posted by Stephany at May 24, 2006 09:37 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1158797.stm
Mentally ill 'less likely to kill strangers'
Another article from BBC news. Though the story is 2001, and stats are not based on American data, etc. it makes the point we are all talking about here; regarding media reporting that mentally ill people are all dangerous and potential murderers, that as a result, promotes stigma.
Posted by Stephany at May 24, 2006 09:50 AM
I had been working at a factory, making decent money and had reasonable benefits, for 6 1/2 years before being fired. I had a "nervous breakdown" in 2003 and was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar. I had never heard of this and completely trusted my doctor to prescribe me the correct medications. Well, after my first suicide attempt, he prescribed me a different SSRI that made me feel like my insides were trying to crawl out. I called him right away and he increased the dosage. Of course the symptoms worsened and I called him back. I told him I could not relax at all. He tried to prescribe the same sleeping pills I had just overdosed on about 2 weeks earlier. I had myself admitted to a hospital to start me on a different medication and make sure I would not be able to harm myself. Since all of this was going on and I was still trying to work as much as possible, my coworkers knew my situation. I was referred to a psychiatrist and once again put my trust in him. I also was seeing a counselor in his office. At first I thought I was getting better. Then I noticed whenever I had a side effect or didn't feel like the medication was strong enough, he would just raise my dosage or add another medicine. I was taking four different medications, some at high dosages and still not feeling good. I was only able to just get by. Then in a period of a couple weeks, I was tardy like 3 times. Although I clocked in on time, I was late getting to my line. No one else had ever been counted tardy for this, but I was. I told them I had 2 alarms set and someone calling me, but my medicine seemed to be putting me into some type of coma. I didn't hear anything. I would then wake up late and have to speed excessively to get to work just for them to count me tardy anyway. They suggested that I make an appointment immmediately to see my doctor again. I called from our nurse's station with 2 of them as witnesses. When I went to my appointment I read a post-it note upside down in my folder. The nurse that takes all phone calls wrote in there that I needed a note for my union steward to get my job back because I had threatened to bring in a gun to work. None of this was true. She had confused me with another patient. I did not work for a union company, I had my job still and I called in front of witnesses. If I had even mentioned a gun in front of them, I would've been fired on the spot. She had the nerve to argue with me. The doctor was not going to change my medications. I told him they were to strong for me. He said he couldn't help me. When he handed me the prescriptions, I did the scariest thing yet. I put them back on the desk and told him he could keep them. Now I didn't have a psychiatrist nor did I know what medications to take. My insurance company approved another psychiatrist and they got me in within 2 weeks. He told me immediately that the other doctor had me on all of the wrong medicines. He made me stop taking everything and start on new ones until we found one that seemed to agree with me. He was so great that sometimes I didn't have to say anything, he would just look at me and know it was not the right one for me. After we found one that was working pretty well, I returned back to work. I missed 1 day in a month and a half, and tried to use vacation until I seen my doctor again, and they wrote me up for attendance again. Once again, no one else has ever been written up for missing 1 day. I went off work again and told the doctor that I could not return until he found something that made me absolutely perfect. We all know how hard that is to do. I ended up taking Nardil (MAOI), and it worked wonderfully. Not only did I return with perfect attendance, but was able to work overtime as much as possible to catch up on all of my bills I was behind on. Then about 3 months later, a group of coworkers complained that I was going to slow. The supervisor watched me and didn't find any significant evidence to prove this. Of course they wouldn't tell me who complained nor were they punished for falsifying information to deliberately try to get me in trouble. I let this go and still continued to talk to everyone and get along with them even if I didn't like what they said. The next thing I know, I am getting called in the office and asked if I had threatened anyone. I asked them what they were talking about, but for the others SAFETY, they wouldn't tell me anything. I wasn't allowed to know who said what, yet had to defend myself. I said the only way to defend myself was to deny everything. I was turned down for unemployment, so I was able to see the statements made. One girl said I had threatened to bring in a gun, (sounds familiar), but the very next day, she invited me to her house to deliver a headboard that I didn't need anymore. I followed her to her new house and was invited in with her children there. This sounds like someone that is afraid of me? Another girl wrote she overheard something but didn't know who I was talking to or how close she was to me and what she said she heard was never put on anyone's statement. I figure she got her story mixed up. Another guy asked me if I quit taking my medicine, would I catch him on fire? He then turned it around and said that I threatened to. He didn't say anything at all. He wrote on his statement that I was crazy, nuts, off the wall and bipolar. Obviously if he wrote it on his statement, he was using it as a reason for this to have happened. I won my unemployment case all by myself. Everyone said I couldn't do it so I got no help from anyone including legalaid. They have no proof besides their statement that I did any of this. When they complained of me going to slow, even though I wasn't, I started staying over into my break to do a little bit extra so no one could say that again. I gave over 100% to them and they did this anyway. My whole case is based on the stigma associated with being bipolar. They had no other reason to get rid of me. I had done everything they had asked of me plus some. Now, I have lost everything. My house, car, phone, everything that most take for granted. I had to move back in with my parents and share a room with my nieces toys and 2 animals. I have enough room for a twin bed. I'm not complaining of this, I am thankful there was someone to take me in or my son and I would've been homeless. But being a single mother, they made me lose things I had spent a lot of years acquiring. My credit is ruined. I will not be able to replace any of this for a long time now. And I did nothing wrong. The only problem was I was diagnosed with bipolar. They used the stigma against me to make me look like a dangerous person and no one stopped them. I do have a charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission against them. I have a good chance of winning. It still will not make up for the emotional devastation they caused. I am frozen in fear to try anything else because if I fail again, I don't know if I will be strong enough to get back up. They ruined my life in every way possible. I was so proud of myself and they destroyed me. This is why we need to get rid of the stigma or have stricter laws protecting us to make them prove by actions that someone is dangerous. Heresay should not be able to ruin someone's life. Another guy on 2nd shift, threw a piece of cardboard at someone and threatened to fight him and he did not get fired. He had words and actions that everyone was a witness to and he got to stay. The cardboard drew blood when it hit the other guy to. This has been my situation. May we change the laws to stop this from ever happening to anyone again.
Posted by Tina Loper at March 14, 2007 02:11 AM