Stigma......

      Yes, I am glad to be home from Atlanta. I did have a good time there and the weather was beautiful. So let's talk about this conference..hmm.
      People in Atlanta are nice enough. People at the conference for the most part where nice. When I would introduce myself, or someone else would introduce me, people would be polite and talk with me, it seemed though once they understood why I was there they became a bit uncomfortable. I do not believe that I came across as over bearing or off putting, I was on good behavior. I just think that it was the mind set of others. I have no degree, I'm not a researcher, I'm not a doctor or a health care provider. Well what I am, and do have, is lived experience that they do not. This is not to say that I did not have a couple of great conversations with some people, it is just a reminder that the stigma is still there. Even with people in the behavioral health care field. I had hoped that the stigma would have been less. This re-enforces how lucky I am that the people I work with, and the people that support my work, see the importance in what I have to share.
      It is a bit of a reality check for me. To encounter stigma and to be reminded that some people do not see lived experience as valuable, is challenging.
      So here is the challenge, I don't see myself as all that different than anyone else. I know that this is in part because all of the wonderful support I have had in my life over the last year. Truth is I have been living with these challenges since I was very young. I knew I was different, maybe I just never knew how different I was. I have never known my life without challenges so I have nothing else to compare it with. It does make me sad and yes, angry, that someone should judge me before they know me. Why would I not have something meaningful to contribute to life just because I have an SMI. It does not define who I am!!!!
     I get that what my life looks like to me is much different than what others see it as. I know I have really bad days and that I need medication. So do a lot of people for many different reasons and they should not be judged either. As you can tell the whole stigma issues is a point of contention for me. I want to help reduce stigma, but I am human and yes, I get hurt and angry when someone wants to treat me different just because my life has challenges they don't understand. This doesn't mean that I'll not keep trying to move peoples minds forward in their thinking. I just needed to vent.