A message from Stephen Fry for Time to Change

[EyetoEye2008]

I was born with my disorder but it took them 35 years before they gave me a proper diagnoises, I'm now 40 and have still not received the correct help - I have 4 long term disorders - I have fought all my life against peoples attitudes and ignorance, and will continue to do so, have been sacked many times for being ill and different - so I started my own business - believe in yourself no matter how hard life gets - Don't let them grind you down

[majormotoko2010]

hope this helps everyone to know that even if u have a mental health problem,it makes u no different than anyone else. u will find people will find it hard to understand, but try to give them the benefit of the doubt and try help understand. weather ur the person with it or the person who doesn't have it.

[BipolarBabble]

GREAT news, as far as I know my government (Dutch) does NOT have any campaign going against stigmatizing people with mental disorders. :(

[soshapely]

Is stigma 'the thing we most have to address'? as Stephen Fry declares. 'Recovery takes place regardless of symptoms and problems' (New Horizons research). If we insist on people's diagnoses being taken into account before anything else, we are in danger of missing out on things like aspirations, goals, hopes, dreams, gifts and skills. We are also in danger of patronising people with mental health conditions, as we insist on disclosure on their behalf without consulting them first.

[soshapely]

Fighting stigma is another way of perpetuating it.

[MrZetteke]

@soshapely That makes no sense to me.. explain please.

[wepul]

The UK government has recently introduced e-petitions online.

Please sign this ‘Abolish ECT’ e-petition and relegate this barbaric 'treatment' to the history books along with lobotomy. We need 100,000 signatures to get it debated in parliament.

To sign an e-petition, you must be either:

• a citizen of the UK (can live abroad)

• a resident in the UK (you normally live in the UK)

It only takes a minute! Please pass this on.

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petit­ions/16278

Thanks

[TheDarkAngelDani]

Thank you Stephen for being so open with your own mental health. The stigma surrounding it all will not go if we don't use our voices to speak up for ourselves and those who cannot

[Stormcrow23321976]

Todays society has changed since those days, however the stigma of having a Mental Illness still exists. I truely believe that this is due to peoples fear and misunderstanding concerning the illness and for many the perceptions of the past still apply in peoples mind that the mentaly ill should be hidden from society. We are tollerant for many social changes that are made, but in the case of Mental Health Acceptance and Understanding that plight has only just begun.

[Stormcrow23321976]

Ty Stephen for your support, the more people supporting the endevour of ending Mental Health Stigma the better of society will be. For a long time societys view has been stuck in the dark ages in regards to Mental Health. In the past the mentally ill were taken away from everyday society, placed in institutions for long periods of time, forgotten in a sence as having a mental illness meant that you were a blight on your family or society.

[Oli3TB76]

=)

[wepul]

Labeling people with psychiatric diagnoses lies at the heart of negative attitudes towards people with mental health problems, argues Terry Simpson

psychminded.co.uk/news/news201­1/aug11/Mental-health-stigma00­1.html

I agree with him

[TheDarkAngelDani]

@wepul And doctors with the same attitudes are the reason it's taken 11 years for anyone to start thinking about a diagnosis, 11 years of being passed from pillar to post with no one daring to diagnose. By all means hit out about too quick, unnecerssery diagnosis, but when someone suffers from a psychiatric problem, and no one will diagnose it due to these fears, makes that person life a ,lot harder then some idiot thinking it means they're deranged.

[wepul]

@TheDarkAngelDani I don't quite understand you! Perhaps you are unaware that 'diagnoses' are not scientificbut are just opinions. Psychiatrists should concentrate on treating individual symptoms and not try to lump symptoms together to make an unscientific 'diagnosis. The DSM IV is a fairy tale fantasy book of 'diagnoses' which are created by consensus between a group of psychiatrists not through scientific testing. Psychiatric drugs make people permanently disabled. ECT is worse. breggin.com

[TheDarkAngelDani]

@wepul I haved lived with severe depression and social anxietioes for more then 11 years, It has been due to what a 'diagnosis' could say about me why i haven't had treatment, Until this year. I'm at a point where i can not leave my house without my partner on a good day, Can not use the phone, answer door etc etc. It's Only since seeing a psych, due to it elevating to hallucinations, That i'm finally getting a true diagnosis, the right medication and real help.

[lmow862]

Yet again stephen fry reminds us of how important it is to consider the mental health of the nation not a favour from the government but a necessity to recognise it in all it's glory

[DarkMatter1958]

Good news!

Shame our Master's can't do the same for the rest of the Voluntary sector? :(

[reliableandrew]

Positive news and a blessed message...for those suffering in silence there are those that care...