3 Steps in Dealing With the Stigma of Mental Illness

No one should face stigma of any kind.   However, that is in the ideal world.   Stigma happens. However, stigma cannot be condoned. Stigma can seem more damaging than the actual disease.  Stigma of mental illness is no different.

 Here are 3 steps in dealing with the stigma of mental illness

#1   For Every Negative Thing You Hear, Listen To Or Say 15 Positive Things.

I heard this about  some research that wrote this. You need to hear something good concerning yourself especially if you have just heard some out of turn joke that has got you upset.     It is like taking a spiritual bath just like you would have a wash after being spluttered with mud.

With a spiritual bath, you need to remind yourself what God says about you. You are the apple of His eye. That you are created in His beautiful image. When God sees you, He sees this beautiful created being specially handcrafted and selected.

Get books such as the Meditation and Confession series books by E. Onah. There are positive declarations that you can recite to yourself in these book that will lift your spirit and may you value yourself. Watch encouraging Christian messages. Listen to worship songs. Read the Bible.

 #2  Know Who You Are

Not everyone with schizophrenia is a murderer. And if you have committed murder or nearly did, well thank God this is a Christian site where the Bible teaches us that there is no sin too big that cannot be cleansed with the Blood of Jesus.  God says our sins can be made as white as snow. “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18).

Settle the matter with God. Repent of your sin and let His love and forgiveness fill your soul. Paul who wrote most of the New Testament was the chief executioner in overseeing the death of the Christian martyr, Stephen. Yet God called this ‘murderer’ into ministry. Paul repented of his cruel acts and became a very changed man!

 #3  Educate Others Without Being Defensive

The reason why people stigmatize others is due to ignorance largely. Sometimes it because of culture. An example of this is in the Bible with the story of the woman with the issue of the blood. Our condition meant that if she was seen in public she would be stoned as she was unclean. But the power of God still went through her body and healed her. The power did not discriminate. When you have the opportunity to talk about mental illness, do so. When we started defying this disease, we were quick to speak up and share our testimonies at every opportunity. We were still a long way from defeating the disease when we first did this, but by speaking up we were letting people know about the disease. Today, at every opportunity, Defying Mental Illness is fighting the stigma of this disease.

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About The Author

Zoe

Zoe met Eze (Chuck) in the 14th year of what turned out to be an 18 year ‘journey’ with mental illness. They got married less than a year of meeting with Zoe fully knowing Chuck had a diagnosis of mental illness. In the 18th year, Chuck defied the odds of mental illness. A consultant psychiatrist signed him off the mental health system with a bill of NO MENTAL ILLNESS. The consultant was so amazed by Chuck’s astonishing recovery that he even questioned how Chuck was diagnosed with mental illness all those years before, in the first place! Today Chuck is free from medication, its dependency and hospitalizations. Zoe’s award nominated book, DEFYING THE ODDS, chronicles the highs and ‘lows’ of this journey. Zoe, often writing from the standpoint of a caregiver, clearly understands that mental illness does not only affect an individual challenged with the disease, but also families, marriages and society as a whole.

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