In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.:
I have a dream that one day I won’t hold my breath every time I tell a person that I suffer from bipolar disorder, that I won’t feel shameful in confessing my mental illness.
I …
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Beautifully written! I just randomly found your blog on Tech. I am going to put a link up to it on my blog, I really like it. – Beth (Manic Mother)
Eh, I kind of take issue with conflating racism with public reaction to mental illnesses. If you’re not a person of color, you *don’t* spend nearly all of your time in public space wondering if your actions are being attributed to you as a person or whether your actions are being attributed to you being a “black” person. You don’t have to worry that your skin color dominates every aspect of how your life operates, or if people interpret your words and actions or judge your performance in a way different than how anyone else would be viewed, simply because they will always see it as intertwined with your “blackness.” There are many forms of discrimination, but one should not propose that all discrimination can be interchanged with one another, and in trying to do so, one often cheapens the words and steals value from the words of people fighting to hear their voices spoken as *their own voices,* as something being spoken by them and about them. I don’t think one should use MLK like this. If anything, maybe there should have been an article about controversies behind certain labels and diagnostic criteria and how that interrelates with race, poverty, culture in general, and look at how “whiteness” can still bias our academic and institutional approaches to psychology.
Good job.
Lyn,
I think it is unfair to suggest that the article conflates racism with the public perception of mental illness. Martin Luther King spoke out on behalf of non-discrimination on the grounds of race and this author’s article is a plea for tolerance and understanding with respect to mental health issues.
I very much appreciate the example of Martin Luther King and the truth and beauty of his words, but I don’t consider it blasphemous to do a little exercise like this.
So the way I see it is 1) That people with mental health issues surely do want to be shown acceptance and understanding, and 2) sometimes it’s ok to have a bit of fun. Best Wishes to all,
Adam
As both an African-American and a young student of Psychology, I thought this post was quite inspirational.
As the author has mentioned, there are many strides that still need to be made with healthcare patients and the perception of their health care to those outisde of the health care system.
I see no harm being done by the parallelism the author has used to link medical conditions to the words of Martin Luther King.
Thank you for the post!
Thank you for your comments. T
I hope all of America’s dreams come true, espeically when it comes to better understanding the mentally ill, the needy, the hopeless, the confused, and the forgotten as a result of the BIG dream occurring Tuesday. Not only are we receiving a new president, but also a new administration, new policies, and changes. This could mean something new for the world of psychology, for medicine, for laws relating to the mentally ill, children, and other areas of public policy that has previously been ignored.
There’s a feeling of CHANGE in the air that appears to extend to every aspect of life today. There couldn’t be anything more inspirational!
I wish all of you the best.
I have to agree with Adam and Aaron on this one. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for something far more than just race, and although he is best remembered for his stance against racial discrimination, he took an ideological against any type of discrimination based upon something as basic as one’s skin color, ethnicity, or indeed, even an illness they did not ask or seek to contract.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a day to commemorate this man’s achievements and efforts on behalf of all the oppressed. And yes, that includes people who are discriminated against for their mental illness as well.
Well said!!
First, I am a middle-aged white woman and I do not even begin to claim I understand the discrimination that African Americans have endured. I do suffer from a serious mental disorder that has wrecked havoc on my life and I appreciate the sentiment of this blog.
MLK, Jr. specifically was speaking for the African American’s and yesterday we saw part of his dream come true! Amen to that. I will trust a rich black man over a rich white man anytime.
While thinking about freedom we have to consider that it is a concept that has been withheld from more than just the African Americans. About the time MLK, Jr. gave his freedom speech a person with a serious mental illness would probably be locked up for life and treated with electrocution and/or a lombodomy. I believe one of JFKs sisters endured treatment in this way.
I have only recently revealed that I have Bipolar Disorder to other than a few close family members and friends and the only way I can do it is through my blog. Even the father of my daughter did not know because I felt there was a risk that he would try and get custody.
I suffered for 20 years pre-diagnosis because I knew something was wrong with me but didn’t know how to get help. I have suffered and grown for the past 10 years while in treatment which is often more painful (emotionally) than not being treated because of issues that need to be addressed. Previously I did not have to, nor wanted to, think about what was wrong with me.
BUT – I can also proclaim that I am free at last because I am addressing my illness and have been in the deepest river and on the highest mountain and survived and I will continue to survive because I had the courage to face my challenges and work towards them and in spite of them.
Your dream is beautiful, and I hope and pray that it will one day come true, for you, my son and everyone who has a mental illness.
WOW, VERY WELL SAID! I ALSO HAVE A DREAM THAT ONE DAY D.I.D./M.P.D. WILL NOT BE SUCH A TABOO
AND THAT PEOPLE WILL SEE IT FOR THE CREATIVENESS AND GENUSES THAT IT IS. CREATING APART INSIDE TO TAKE THE PAIN AND HORROR SO THAT THE MAIN PERSONALITY CAN COPE WITH LIFE IS SIMPLY AMAZING. WHAT’S NOT VERY AMAZING IS THAT A LOT OF PSYCHIATRIST AND OTHER MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL’S STILL DON’T BELIEVE IN IT, NOT TO MENTION THE LAY PEOPLE WHO DON’T BELIEVE IN IT! I’M TIRED OF SO CALLED HIDING IN THE CLOSET IN FEAR OF SOMEONE FINDING OUT ABOUT MY DISORDER (WHICH I DON’T LIKE TO REFER TO IT AS A DISORDER.) I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO HIDE AND NEITHER SHOULD ANYONE ELSE. HAVING A MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT SOMETHING WE CHOOSE TO HAVE BUT IT’S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH AND COPE WITH AS BEST AS WE CAN AND TO HAVE TO HIDE IN FEAR OF SOMEONE FINDING OUT IS JUST TORTUROUS. MY DREAM LIKE THERESE’S DREAM IS THAT MENTAL ILLNESSES WILL SOMEDAY BE ACCEPTED AND NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL BE MADE FUN OF OR NOT BE BELIEVED IN! IT’S HARD ENOUGH TRYING TO COPE WITH THE MENTAL ILLNESS BUT THEN HAVING TO DEAL WITH ALL THE STIGMA’S BEHIND THEM JUST MAKES IT 10 TIMES WORSE! WE NEED TO BE TREATED WITH THE SAME RESPECT AS SOMEONE WITH A PHYSICAL ILLNESS.
COME ON PEOPLE IT’S 2009, IT’S TIME TO START DEALING WITH THINGS IN A POSITIVE WAY. DON’T MAKE US KEEP HIDING IT’S SIMPLY NOT FARE!
PS I DON’T THINK THERESE WAS SAYING OR REFERRING TO ANYTHING RACIAL BY MENTIONING
MLK JR. AND HIS DREAM. I THINK SHE WAS SIMPLY STATING HER DREAM AS HE STATED HIS DREAM.
Good job, made me feel much better after reading it. I think that is what matters most.
man, that brought a tear to my eye
that was beautiful