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What’s the biggest misconception other people have about your health?

A tried-and-true Mighty topic is discussing the stigma and misconceptions associated with health. We love some myth-busting around here 👏.

What makes stigma especially complicated though, is that the same misconception isn’t applicable to every single condition. Some of the inaccuracies surrounding mental illnesses overlap with one another, but myths about BPD are very different than the ones for folks living with bipolar or C-PTSD. And while there is some similar ground to traveled between fibro, CFS, RA, and EDS — each diagnosis comes with its own language, own community, and unique pain points.

In your life, what’s the biggest misconception other people have about your experiences? Mighty staffer @xokat says her biggest battle is getting others to understand the drain her conditions take on her day-to-day life, and why it’s so important for her to pace and budget her energy.

What’s your experience?

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Depression #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #RareDisease #Disability #Stigma #Spoonie #AutismSpectrumDisorder

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Stigma

What are the stigma about autism that you've been through, that you hate the most and how did you overcome it if you did?

#Autism #Stigma

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👏 Say it louder 👏

Ready for a rant about the outdated 0-10 pain scale? There will never be enough time to fully demystify the stigma surrounding migraine, but @skyeg and I sure give it the college try!

In episode #5 of Health & (un)Wellness, they’re joined by Amy Wickstrom, Executive Director of the American Migraine Foundation, and Dr. Christine Lay, Chair of the American Migraine Foundation, and a neurologist and headache specialist who is also the founding director of the University of Toronto’s headache program.

Tune in for a jam-packed conversation about the history of migraine, tips for combatting stigma within health care environments, plus an alternative model for how patients can describe their brain symptoms including pain.

📚 Read the transcript: themighty.com/topic/migraine/mighty-with-migraine-podcast-st...

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/migraine-stigma-and-misconcept...

🎧 Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0d2nxwefl28yP0F6DEEKDR

#Migraine #ChronicPain #DistractMe #Stigma #Spoonie #ChronicIllness #CheckInWithMe #Disability #RareDisease #Endometriosis #EhlersDanlosSyndrome

Migraine Stigma and Misconceptions

This episode explores how stigma and misconceptions often play a role in the migraine experience.
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Labeled manic because I am doing well

What is with people? They see you only through the lens of a diagnosis? Couldnt I be doing well in my hobbies and life because I have worked hard and gone through pain and self-reflection and found my strength to get to this point? I was told I am in a phase only. Manic. As I was doing way better than that person at our common hobby. And had upcoming things that she is unable to do. Wonderful accomplished things. And have been joyful. I unfortunately reacted some. And that I guess is what she wanted to confirm that I am crazy. Then she has to tell someone I will need taking care of later on. People cannot do things themselves. They have to put you down and label you not ok or sick. Then I see her a few days later and she talks to me like nothing happened. How to handle this? And why do people do this? #Bipolar #Manic #Stigma #labeling #narcissism

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The stigma of mental illness

Can mental illness ever be de-stigmatized in a society when those suffering with this ailment are denigrated unabashedly by many, especially when it is inclusive of the very professionals meant to help??

I dont believe society wants to deal with it in entirety and beyond the surface of it.

Everyone claims to be accepting and professes sympathy, but the reality seems to be quite the opposite. Having a mental illness puts you at a disadvantage. Especially when you are in a situation that is volatile or detrimental to your own safety. Instead of protecting the mentally ill person, they are subjected to persecution. They are imprisoned and medicated. They are labeled uncooperative and psychotic.

I know because it happened to me. I have been suffering emotional/mental abuse from my son. He taunts me to the point where I am triggered and react negatively. Once I do, he turns his camera on and records me. He, becomes the voice of reason, and I become the unstable one. This last episode, I was taken to the hospital for a psych evaluation and placed on a 72 hour hold. My accusations about my child were viewed as hallucinations and I was deemed psychotic and unstable.

The persons in a position of authority- doctors/nurses, police officers, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors/therapists, social workers....humiliated me. Belittled me. Vilified me. My resistance to or questioning of their conventional standard of operations simply was not acceptable or an option.

Accepting and conforming to their demands was the only way to deal with the issue at hand and I was to do so quietly. Fulfilling their expectations was the only way to accomplish any positive outcome of the situation at hand. Because, having a mental illness does not allow me any rights to advocate for myself. My voice, like so many others who suffer with mental illness, is silenced due to those stigmas.

And people wonder why suicide keeps happening and at an alarming rate. Maybe, it's because of the stigma the mentally ill experience from society and from the very professionals whom are expected to be more understanding, but are in fact, more judgemental and patronizing of those with a mental illness.

#MentalIllness #Stigma #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealth

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My mom sent me this text and I just feel numb

I love my mom and family but it’s very dysfunctional and passively emotionally abusive, it used to be a lot worse during my sucidal attempts and self harming in my teens when the abuse was super bad. I’ve come a long way since but I still have a long way to go but trying my best. I know it’s hard for her to understand but it just hurts, I feel like such a waste of space and a total burden or mistake, just feel pathetic and like trash right now, really hard to be kind to myself right now though I usually try to combat the negative thoughts. Anyways sorry thank you I just don’t have a lot of friends and people that understand disabilities or struggles with mental health. Thanks I’ll just struggling having a really bad anxiety attack and crying might have to call the crisis line a little. My eyes hurt from crying. #MentalHealth #Stigma #illness #Disability #lost #lonely #sad #Burden #alone #Recovery #Trying #TheMighty #help #Advice #SOSAD

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What’s a common misconception about achondroplasia?

Although we have learned more about achondroplasia in recent years (such as: it impacts more than height), many misconceptions and myths about the condition still remain.

Which ones do you encounter most often or wish would be debunked?

Share it with us in the comments below. ⬇️

#RareDisease #Parenting #Caregiving #Dwarfism #SkeletalDysplasia #Achondroplasia #ChronicPain #Stigma

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No one talked about it.

No one talked about it. Yanno talk about mental health, any aspect relative to it..

My parents didn't tell me about any of it. They didn't give me any warnings or prepare me for what life could throw my way. They were too caught up on their own messy life struggling with their own mental health, but forgot the ones who relied on them were struggling too.

Adults in my life didn't talk about the reality of how hard life can be, all the emotions you will feel and how to deal with them especially pain (personally the hardest one), the confusing series of events you may go through, or how to even cope with loosing someone you loved.

There was too much left unsaid, not understood, lingering questions with no one to give answers I desperately needed as a child. I had to learn everything the hard way when it never had to be that way, it could've been so different.

So here I am talking about anything and everything. I couldn't continue the cycle which was never acknowledged to even have the chance to be broken..

Here I still am. I'm still here and there's a reason for that. I've gone through so much trauma, hardship, health issues, and pain by age 26. Neverminded the struggles and difficultly navigating my way through life and healing as a single mom of two beautiful daughters, ages 7 and soon-to-be 3 year old.

No one talked about it, but I talk about it now. I will continue to always discuss mental health and every aspect relative to it, especially with my children.

#Childhood #Stigma #genrationaltrauma #Breakthecycle #Family #MentalHealth #Awareness #Parenting #Life #Pain #Communication #Children #Singlemom #hardship #survive #speakout #childrensvoices #Health #advocate #makechange #Hope #childrenarethefuture #teachchildren #selfawareness #healingjourney

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#Epilepsy and #Streaming and #Stigma

So I'm an #epileptic streamer and advocate. I'm rather small, so I make no real waves. One of my new "friends" was streaming, so I went to his stream to support him. I made it a point to thank him as he mentioned about the game possiblely causing seizures, due to the fact of my advocating. He said he was aware. One of his viewers decided to be an ass and ask if I was advocating or sharing. I politely said that it was not contagious, to please stop. "Not according to so in so..." Grrrrr! I left immediately. I didn't want to ruin the stream, but UGH!!! I apologized to the streamer, but haven't gotten a response yet.

This is not ok. Why people think it is, idk.

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Wise Up or Wait Up?

How do you know when to take the plunge on another assistive device?
How long is too long to wait where you are negatively impacting your health as opposed to maintaining functioning and quality of life?
Where are you on the spectrum of want to need to can't live without?
Do you listen to the Dr's that say you need to work towards removing assistive devices or to the Dr's that tell you to use them to improve your functionality and quality of life?

I'm on the fence (as it seems I often am when trying to manage my chronic health problems) about whether I should cave and get a shower chair or bench. I find showers exhausting but I don't want to take yet another visible step that confirms my failing ability to function and complete normal every day tasks. Some of my Dr's say I need to get rid of things I already use like my cane and others say I need to rethink my use of things that can allow me to function better which may mean adding more assistive devices.
What do you think?
Where is the line for you?
When do you know it's time to take the plunge?

#ChronicPain #assistivedevice #showerchair #Disability #Migraine #Fibromyalgia #HEDS #Stigma #choices #Undiagnosed #POTS

19 reactions 8 comments