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• November 15, 2009 6:42 p.m.

  I have been living with depression as long as I can remember....it worsens at times with challenges in life, but my biggest mistake has been not getting the help I needed. I raised my children by myself after an awful divorce and now as my children are adults, I've realized that had I accepted it and gotten the help I needed my children would be MUCH better off. I have great kids but they have been affected by my depression. They actually are products of their environment. Great kids as I say, both headed in the right direction with schooling etc. but both having symptoms of depression. So....don't fight it and feel embarrassed about the stigma, it can't be ignored and if it's seroius it doesn't ever go away.....Find all the help you can, stay active and fit ....accept it and face it head on...

  - Lee

• November 6, 2009 12:18 p.m.

  My daughter attempted to commit suicide in Febuary, instead had the mind to consider what it would do to her 5 y/o child, she had herself committed to a Psych hospital instead. She had been diagnosed with Carcinoid Sydrome (slow growing cancer in October, and was told the growth had enlarged during a "low". They diagnosed her with Bi-Polar and ADD. Her job was a major stress issue ,due to her Bi-Polar and her P-doctor recommended she leave her job and apply for disability. Now she has been out of work since Febuary, SSI has denied her twice saying she "could get at job at McDonald's (HUH?????!!!) They just don't get it. Jobs can ,are required to make adjustments for handicapped employees , but there is NO adjustment you can make for mental illness. She is two months behind in her mortgage and on the verge of losing their home. Which adds to her stress and illness, as well as the cost of her meds ( they had her on 11 pills a day, for everything) .I stepped up and helped them for 3 months with their mortgage, but now have lost my job and can no longer help. Her meds are NOT helping, they change them constantly.Her husband and child are suffering, and I am devastated watching my child going through this and not being able to help. Every day I dread that phone call from my son-in-law saying she did "it". Are their really any solutions? As the earlier post stated it is a REAL disease/handicap, and yet SSI ewill NOT help her.

  - Theresa

• November 1, 2009 1:47 a.m.

  I was hospitalized for depression when I was young. The medications made me sicker. I've been off meds for years and doing quite well, but cannot get over the notion that I am defective and cannot tell anyone about my experiences. Once I tell them, they can discount what I say as crazy talk. I am forever branded as defective, broken goods. Most days it doesn't bother me, some days it doesn't even cross my mind, but there is always the knowledge that someone can use it against me and that really sucks.

  - Tim

• October 24, 2009 5:07 p.m.

  I was the victim of an assault and have most all of the symptoms of PTSD to go along with it. Finally, it got so bad, I had to seek out professional help. Is the fact that I sought help going to be used against me? One thing that makes this worse, is that I have large blocks of memory missing with regard to the incident and am afraid to talk about this. Do these missing memories mean that I may have a dissociative disorder, or is this fairly common in such stressful situations? That would be a tough label to carry. Please respond, and tell me I can work again as soon as I feel like it without this trauma following me everywhere.

  - Jenny J

• October 23, 2009 11:36 a.m.

  Well here in our family. The stigma is still very much present!!! Probably always will be. SAD HUGH!!!

  - Angie

• October 21, 2009 8:30 p.m.

  WoW, so many comments, sometimes I feel so alone, but I should have known better. I'm in college and had to change my major due to my diagnose back in 1998 as being bi-polar, I'm so afraid that I'm going to go through all this school and I won't be able to use my degree. I do not want to be on disability and I feel that when people with mental illness are forced onto disability payments, it does more harm than good. I want to achieve the "American Dream", just like anyone else, I don't feel that I am any different than anyone except for the fact that I must take medication for the rest of my life and sometimes I may need to get it readjusted(which rarely takes more than two days!) Big deal, everyone else gets sick sometimes. My husbands parents didn't want him to marry me, because they thought he could do better than" a little bi-polar girl", it broke my heart at first and then I realized just how ignorant some people in this world can be! I may be scared that life will continue to discriminate and place stigmas on me, but..I'm here to survive this disease, and do all I can to help my children, in case they are diagnosed...and anyone else that God places in my path.

  - jm

• October 18, 2009 11:41 a.m.

  Maybe the stigma will change once people, both the general public and quite a few doctors, realize that depression is a "real" illness, just like any other disease. I seriously doubt that anyone would tell a diabetic to just think about making more insulin for their body or a cancer patient to just make their disease go away. Insurance companies add to this because they treat mental illness differently than other diseases. It's getting better due to the fact insurance companies do cover mental illness to some degree, rather than not at all. It's getting better, just not fast enough for those who live it or soon will.

  - Dawn

• October 13, 2009 2:32 p.m.

  I'm a senior citizen now, and have been treated for depression for years. Not getting out of bed, crying, etc. If I had it all to do over, I never would have sought help with a psychiatrist, not because medication didn't help, but because your life is ruined in every aspect, when you seek such treatment, by the never ending stigma. You never re-cover from it. Your branded for life. It's not my imagination. I advise all to weigh all the options, before seeking professional help. Ron

  - Ron

• September 21, 2009 11:02 a.m.

  Em I am sorry about what has happened to you. It actually makes me very angry. You have performed your job and received excellent reviews. Actually what business is it of the school system to know what medications you are taking ? To me that is a violation of your rights. Do you know how many people there are that take medications for depression and anxiety etc. ? So are they supposed to hide this information from employers for fear of losing a job ?? I can't imagine the stress of your job as a teacher. I am a RN. I was able to go back to work after having a mania episode for the first time and being out of work for 8 weeks. I had to have a statement from my psychiatrist before returning to work. I was embarressed to go back, but my boss said "what if you could not come back to work ?" She had flowers and a banner waiting. I have moved and have not started looking for a job yet, but I too fear will my diagnosis be held against me . I have been asked if I was on disablity due to the bipolar diagnosis. I have said "NO, I am capable of working ." I know many people are not able to work and do receive disability. Do you know how hard it is for people to get disability for medical reasons? Usually they have to get a lawyer because they are denied. So what are people to do if they are able to work, want to work, need work to survive, but then an employer is going to discriminate because of a diagnosis of depression, anxiety etc. I am sorry ag

  - Sue

• September 18, 2009 8:26 p.m.

  It was very interesting to run across this blog. I guess there are moreof out there than I thought. I have been receiving treatment for over three years now, after I realized I had to do something about my condition.....whatever it was. Let me tell you what my big surprise was this week: I have taught for 15 years and the day after I turned in a form listing medications, I was called into a meeting and placed on paid administrative leave. BANG. The principal was in my room that morning, walking by my room, looking at the papers on my desk, etc. Which did not last long and I am currently on my sick days now. I have depression and anxiety disorder that I know has worstened with the nature of my job. I know that I was having a reaction to the meds I was taking, but these were medications prescribed after a rather bad panic attack a few days before school started. I had received excellent reviews all these years, but now I was told that I can not return back to work without a complete physical, emotional and psychological statements stating that I can perform all of the duties on a 6 page job description. Wow, do I feel humiliated and embarassed. The sub was told that if any parents ask where I am, to refer the calls to the principal's office. If I am able to go back to work, I know I will be held under tight scrutiny. How's that for stress? Thank goodness for those people who understand and are trying to help us. Do I think there is a stigma..even discrimination regarding this?

  - Em

• September 15, 2009 6:22 p.m.

  Dealing with mental illness most of my life, I can say that the stigma is becoming less and less but we do have a long long way to go. I wish people would understand that mental illness is simply the brain (our most complex and least understood organ) not functioning as it should. All diseases boil down to the fact that a part of the body is not functioning as it should - so what is the difference? I find it astonishing that anywhere between 20 & 25 percent of our nation has a mental illness - and yet we don't see campaigns raising money to help treat and/or cure MI, do we?

  - Carrie

• September 8, 2009 3:37 p.m.

  There is still plenty of stigma. Depression cannot be discussed or even mentioned the way cancer or other illnesses can. People want to hear all the details of cancer treatment. Depression? If people know, they become so afraid they'll "set you off" or "cause" something horrible, they stop being honest. Or they write off what you say (that they don't like) to being depressed. So they edit what they say to me, and then don't listen to what I say. Not nice. At the same time they have the "oh just snap out of it" syndrome. That sort of thinking makes me feel guilty! Believe me, if I could flip a switch and turn it off, I would! It just doesn't work like that. Also, the "chronic" part of my depression still confuses those close to me. I have good days, I have bad days, just like everyone else...but I might also have depression symptoms. It is a constant factor. Not an excuse, an unacknowledged fact. My counselor says, "You have this situation, and this, you're dealing with them, AND you're living with depression. Good job!" How come she's the only one who will say that to me?

  - susan

• September 4, 2009 9:37 a.m.

  I also agreed with Nancy. Would people who have other illness like cancer or heart problems want to be treated like you the patient can be treated in a psychiatric hospital ?? I don't think so. I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to go to a private setting where hopefully you would be treated with some dignity. I was in a room with 5 people. You are told when to go to bed, when to eat. I was allowed to use crayons to write or color and the only activity was to watch tv. The "door" was only opened to go outside for a few minutes, to see the doctors, visit with your family or see the social worker. I was not offered any type of counseling just take your meds. I have moved to another state and seeing a new psychiatrist. I am making sure this time where I would go if I needed hospitalization and plan to get things in order that my mother can make decisions about my health care if I am not able too. I am a loving mother of a toddler who has never tried to hurt him or anyone else. So I am trying to take charge so if the inevitable happens I am prepared. I know I need to get involved with NAMI and be an advocate. I will read articles in the paper where someone was arrested and it may not alright say it , but it will say "well the person was off his meds" indicating a mental illness. Is that anyone else's business or is that suppose to explain why they committed the crime or whatever happened. Well, I just wanted to get this off my chest. sue

  - Sue

• September 4, 2009 9:18 a.m.

  I am a professional nurse and was recently diagnosed as being bipolar. I had a history of anxiety and depression episodes before, but not anything that lasted due to taking anti-depressants. Then last year it hit. A mania episode that I do not wish to relive. It was embarressing in the since that I have always been in control of my life and I lost that during that time. Then during the hospitalization that it took I had no say in my care. Just take these meds. My experience in an instituition was hell. You are treated like a caged animal with no dignity (doors off the bathroom door). You are not allowed to wear makeup, fix your hair etc., shave, because I guess you might harm yourself or someone else. I hate how I acted during this time, but I had no control. I finally got out of there, not to there liking, but they were not treating my other medical needs and I threatended to sue them. I had legitimate medical needs . I went home and took the meds under my family's care. I now take one med Lamotrigene and have done wonderful. I too fear sharing my diagnosis with others. Only a few friends know and family. I wonder if when I return to work will this diagnosis prevent me getting a job. I worked up until we moved this year in public health. I was fortunate to get my postions back after this episode. I am always concerned the mania might come back, but it hasn't. I take my meds and see a psychiatrist. I know mine is genetic. It is an illness with stigma. sue

  - Sue

• August 30, 2009 8:21 p.m.

  Until there are state-of-the-art medical centers for the treatment of mental illness and brain disorders similar to those for cancer tx, heart disease, etc and where patients & their families are given support, info, compassion, resources and TLC, I think our loved ones are relegated to short stints on the psych ward and released to the care of their loved ones with little if any support. After 12 years of dealing with the ongoing challenges of a wonderful daughter with bipolar disorder, I feel like I bear most of the weight of helping her, listening to her, trying to figure out what to do next. I have a very supportive family on one side and a handful of friends who "get it" and I'm a member of NAMI and I read and research, ask lots of questions, advocate and so forth. BUT I still feel SO terribly alone. My daughter suffers from the illness itself and since it is invisible and because she is intelligent, people have difficult understanding and believing that she has a chronic, life threatening medical disorder. And how do you fight this illness when it's your brain that's not functioning properly? Sometimes I wish that my dear daughter had cancer or some other more recognized and understood illness. The silence is sometimes deafening from those around us and nobody knocks on the door with casseroles. I wouldn't wish this illness on my worst enemy. You battle it alone and there are still occasions when there is subtle and not so subtle blame.

  - Nancy

• August 30, 2009 12:27 a.m.

  I agree with Dao. There is still a lot of that Tom Cruise mentality out there that laughs at those on meds saying they are not needed, it's all in your head (for real), quit the pity party etc. My depression is genetic as it runs very strongly on my mothers' side of the tree. Family members have committed suicide or attempted it at least once or have constant nagging thoughts of it. Some of us have been to "shrinks", including the one successful suidcide long before there were antidepressants, with little positive results, myself included. My best therapy has been antidepressants prescribed by my internist. Wish I had them as a child. To me they are miracle meds, but again, as Dao said, not too many people acknowledge publicly or even to friends that a problem exists. There are still too many Tom Cruises out there to not feel the stigma!!!

  - Judy

• August 29, 2009 8:34 p.m.

  Until we receive insurance parity in all 50 states, stigma still exists. I totally disagree with anyone receiving treament from a primary physician. They can diagnose, but then they need to refer to a psychiatrist. Primary physicians do not have the time to take care of a person with bronchitis let alone someone with a mental illness. They are not up on the lastest medications and just handing out a script for 6 months of Prozac is not treatment. They can do more harm than good. I wouldn't want my primary to take out my kidney just as I wouldn't want my shrink to either. Psychiatrist have trouble dealing with us and our meds so I certainly would not let my primary treat me. They do not have the time or experise. I am fortunate that my internist started his residency in psychiatry and wrote many papers on psycho-pharmachology but his knowledge is only useful because he knows the meds I am on and the effects they have on my overall heath. Bad advice doc.

  - Debra

• August 26, 2009 6:12 a.m.

  In 35 years as a mental health clinician, now retired, I've seen the cause of mental illnesses shift from personal and social to biological and medical ones. Schizophrenia was blamed on the "schizophrenigenic' mother, and depression on weakness and inadequacy. Now chemical imbalance and genetics are responsible and personal blame and stigma are far less.

  - Mike

• August 25, 2009 2:30 p.m.

  I have been on anti-depressants since 1991 or before, and have never felt stigmatized. It is a disease just like any other, and has treatment protocols like any other. The pharmaceutical and medical communities have developed new, and better medications which help to manage the problems, and for that I am grateful. I have just had a major depressive episode, changed medications, and I am much better and not thinking thoughts of suicide, not beating myself up, and getting back into life as I know it. The only stigma I face is trying to improve my work situation now that I am over 60. Now there is stigma...illegal, but active.

  - bcw

• August 19, 2009 10:20 p.m.

  Interesting article, Doctor. The diminishing of the mental health stigma is not a thing that merely statistics of prescriptions can show, though. It is a wider social issue that must be dealt with in a social manner. Awareness and education gives much hope to those silent sufferers; it is not merely the removal of the stigma, but an acceptance and a lifeline that they are not sufferering alone. Antidepressants may help, but the therapeutic effects of a great support team, family, friends, and an accepting society speaks for more than pictures and words can show.

  - Bobby

• August 19, 2009 5:50 p.m.

  I remember when my grandmother wouldn't even mention cancer. In her world there was a stigma against any kind of illness except the communicable ones like chicken pox. How can we expect our illness to be accepted,

  - ak

• August 19, 2009 1:36 p.m.

  Better yet, why not push for more research to cure mental illness altogether? It's the professionals in the field who have the power and the contacts. Where are those lobbyists and why aren't they breaking down the doors of Congress? I would say it's the pharmaceutical companies fear of losing billions of dollars that is getting in the way.

  - jbm

• August 19, 2009 1:29 p.m.

  Read more of your blogs Dr. and you'll see the stigma is still there, especially in the workplace. Read how many people are being discriminated against and as a result losing their jobs! Highly trained nurses among others. Why not get your colleagues together and work to write up legislation to protect those of us affected by these heinous practices? You know just as well as these corporations do how difficult it is for those with mental illness to deal with this kind of treatment on the job. Exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed is what they corporations count on to keep people at bay. Why not provide a list of lawyers, pro bono if needed for those who can't afford it, and other trusted legal info on your site.

  - Kathie

• August 19, 2009 1:11 p.m.

  Wishful thinking, people show a lot more compassion to a person with cancer (to lessen the blow - non-life threatening) than they do to a mental illness person. The cancer patient can go to the doctor, take meds without feeling ashamed unlike the mental illness person. People still think that we can just snap out of it. If we react or say something that seems out of place in a situation they attribute it to the mental illness not our true reaction. They tend to stay away from us and not bother us incase we go crazy on them. Why don't people list mental illness/depression as the reason for death in the paper when people commit suicide like they do cancer or heart disease? Because society frowns on it -- they can't believe that life could be so bad for that person.

  - DAO