"No Easy Mark: Reversing the Force of Stigma"
By Carter West

On my first venture out to MDDA ten years ago, I had to leave home twice. When the hour came, I left my room, walked down the hallway, down two flights, through the dining hall to the parking lot…Then, almost involuntarily, I made a U-turn back to my room, where I exchanged my jeans and sweater for slacks, sport jacket, and a tie. What made me do that? Was there something about me that required a better covering, some mark making me a target for shame?

Two definitions under the American Heritage Dictionary's entry for "stigma" apply:
  "1. A mark or token of infamy, disgrace, or reproach,"
  and
  "2.b. A mark or characteristic indicative of a history of a disease or
  abnormality."

A perverse and universal social alchemy fuses those definitions, as every person with a mental illness knows. Our straightforward "history of disease" becomes "a token of…disgrace." First illness marks us, then shaming and discrimination make that mark almost indelible. No wonder stigma stubbornly resists our efforts to wash it away.

One basic task of recovery is learning how to step out of our shamed defensive posture, along with the where and when of stepping out effectively and appropriately. We have to figure out how to stop being targets, and ourselves target the forces of discrimination and shame around and within us. The list of social domains where stigma tends to rule - employment, public policy, popular culture, civic life, even (most oppressively) in treatment itself - is long: often, despair results. That's why the first step in resisting stigma is overcoming our habits of self-stigmatization: "dressing up" in denial to show others a false, more socially acceptable self. As we come to accept ourselves as desirable and useful enough, even whole, despite our moods, we gain the power to overcome stigma and reclaim our lives, hour-by-hour, day-by-day.

Easier said than done! But help is out there, even close at hand. Here are three solid -Internet resources you can use to combat stigma in all its dimensions. (Those without -home computer access can use the Cole Resource Center's terminals: call 617-855-3298).

Mental Health Recovery
http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com

Consumer educator Mary Ellen Copeland presents her strategies for recovery in workshops around the world. Our mental health care system tends to keep consumers passive, reinforcing stigma: she can help put you in the driver's seat on the road to recovery. Her techniques enable us to observe our symptoms closely, research treatment alternatives, and design a personal support system. Articles, a correspondence course, a listserve and e-newsletter, and Copeland's own self-help workbooks can all be accessed here.

Freedom Self-Advocacy Curriculum,
National Mental Health Consumers'
Self-Help Clearinghouse
http://www.mhselfhelp.org/freedom/index

"Self-advocacy" means understanding and implementing your rights as a consumer of psychiatric treatment and other mental health services. Beginning with thoughts on "necessary attitudes" and problem-solving strategies, the Curriculum covers self-advocacy by telephone, in writing, and in person. (Some materials require Adobe Acrobat Reader software, but the Teacher's Guide is available as text only). The Clearinghouse, located in Philadelphia, is one of six federally sponsored Technical Assistance Centers nationwide.

Otto Wahl's Guide for Stigmabusters
http://www.mason.gmu.edu/owahl/INDEX.HTM

Dr. Wahl, a clinical psychologist, teaches at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. His website includes summaries of his research and his students', a collection of brief articles and handouts, and recommendations for reading, including Dr. Wahl's books on public images of mental illness and consumers confronting stigma.