Stigma

I never understand why people suffering from mental illness should still be stigmatised or mocked by some. If your being is so challenged that you have to struggle daily with disrupted experiences of self, perception, anxiety, mood etc., then you are having to find insights and strengths to prevail personally, practically and socially.  So why should anyone see you as weak, unworthy or to be looked down upon? I have always spoken openly about my mental disorder, it is how it is and a legitimate experience. If someone asks me about Depersonalisation Disorder then I respond, as I think it is better that the disorder is more recognised. Sometimes, I raise the subject anyway, there are often practical reasons for doing so, since DDD is so disabling to me. If someone listening to me speak is uncomfortable then that’s their problem. However, most I have told about it have been interested and respectful, even as they cannot (understandably) appreciate the experience of DDD and what it takes to manage. Depersonalization Disorder is a disability, not my fault, and it is why I can’t be who I truly am in this world, so I often find it necessary to reveal (excepting trivial situations). I find people are generally fine about mental health matters. Some of the worst attitudes I have encountered were actually from a few mental health workers. I have been spoken to as though I were a toddler, stupid, or weak. If some are in the wrong job, others vocationally make a huge difference within a stretched system.

Anyway, stuff stigma! With DDD, as in other mental disorders, we have a valid human experience that does not diminish us but tests our character.