I have been living with mental illness for half of my life and I am very thankful for all that I have learned and the great people that I have met; I have developed relationships and friendships with so many people over the years. I have also spent half my life advocating and trying to make the world a better place for people with mental illness and yes, I have heard a lot about stigma and how people are affected by it. I have participated in events that were intended to break the stigma that darkens mental illness.
I happened to come across an interview with Jane Pauley recently who has been living with bipolar disorder for about 11 years. Jane was a broadcaster with NBC and was one of the hosts for the Today Show. In the interview, Jane talked about the word ‘stigma’ and said she thinks the word should be cut from our vocabulary. Continue reading
