by Joseph M. Bowers

Many of us are frustrated by the seeming endless availability of grant money for virtually useless anti-stigma pr campaigns when that money should go toward things like supported housing that do help significantly. We would usually prefer using the word discrimination where stigma is often misused. Also those of us with mental illnesses need to guard against self-stigmatization. Cost and availability are far more often the cause people don’t seek treatment, but stigma does exist and it is a problem.

Our community is more than 50% Latino. The local judge over mental health court and problem solving court has told me that his biggest issue in trying to help the sick people who come before him is the refusal of their families to support his efforts. The Latino culture is somewhat macho, ignorant about mental illness and very reluctant to admit that there could be any such thing in their families. I understand that stigma also runs high in the black community.

No one can convince me that our society’s response to mental illness would be as shabby if mental illnesses were thought of the same as any psychical illness or even Alzheimers or dementia.  What is that if not stigma and is that not a problem?