fighting the stigma of mental illness

FIGHT STIGMA

Many people are affected by mental illness

Sometimes I daydream…

Sometimes I am sad…

I may be frustrated…

I may have a flight of ideas…

Or seem like two different people…

I may puzzle you…

I long for acceptance…

I may see things differently…

Sometimes I want to escape…

I may be recognized for my brilliance someday…

Stress can cause a mental illness to manifest itself.

There are many pieces to mental illness.

!!!

I have a mental illness.

Listen up!

Do you see me?

I have an illness of the brain that can be measured and is diagnosed just like a physical illness.

“WE DON’T EAT CHILDREN!!!”

Open your mind!

Please, Don’t stare at me like that,I can be fun to be around…

You can help set me free…

If we work together…

And you are open minded…

You can understand that this isn’t me…

I didn’t do this to myself…

Please Listen!

Don’t judge me by the medications I

take.

I am NOT med-seeking, I require medications to correct the chemical imbalance in my brain.

The medications may help the pieces fit together…

Professionals such as doctors, lawyers and nurses may need mental health services in their lifetime!

What if I was your grandfather?

I feel like enough of an outsider

already…

I may just think differently than you. It is human nature to fear what we don’t understand!

What do you see?!!!

Now concentrate…

I don’t lie on a couch and discuss my mother with a Freudian therapist!

I am a child.

I am a senior.

Have you ever felt like you might be

CRAZY?

What would happen? What did you picture?

Did you picture this place?

Or this?

Or did you desire caring and patience while you got the help you deserved?

To get back to yourself, to baseline.

Reconnect…

Be yourself…

And Enjoy life!

I AM YOU,OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW!

AN ESTIMATED 1 in 5 PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES ARE DIAGNOSED WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS EVERY YEAR!

Some Examples include: Depression Anxiety ADHD Obsessive compulsive disorder Alcohol/drug addiction Anorexia and Bulemia Bipolar disorder Schizophrenia PMDD Postpartum Depression Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Alzheimer’s And many more…

Become Educated,

You can be an advocate

Against Stigma of MentalIllness!

Powerpoint Presentaion By: Chrystal L. GrahamMusic: “Unwell” by Matchbox 20