Stop the Shame Campaign
Tax deductible
The stigma surrounding mental illness is real.
It's just not something people want to talk about, let alone deal with. Growing up, parents wouldn't let their children have playdates with me at my house because of my mother's eccentricities. Bipolar Disorder was apparently perceived as something you could catch, and nobody wants that.
The stigma, then, isolated me, just as it had done for my mother. She had no friends come to her house for support, even after her own son received troubling diagnoses of his own and she struggled to keep her family intact. She was to blame for her illness, and potentially even his, since we all know now that brain disorders have a genetic component. Our family had a mark against us and our community avoided us like the plague.
If only she had a support group or education course to guide her. If only someone spoke up and said they too experience mental illness. No one did.
When I got to high school, there wasn't anyone for me to talk about it to either. I had my school counselor, but that one-on-one experience didn't make me feel like I was one of many. I felt like this was my problem, my family's problem, and no one would ever understand what it was like to visit my family in mental hospitals... to have the staff know me by name... to worry about developing an illness myself, and to question whether I should have children of my own someday, because what if they inherit bipolar, asperger's, OCD, or addiction, too?
The experiences I've had with mental illness are nightmarish, but they make me who I am. As more and more celebrities come out of the woodwork to share their stories of hope and recovery, I am encouraged to share mine.
We all need an advocate.
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has the right idea. Their mission is to educate, advocate, and support everyone affected by mental illness, whether you are a family member of someone experiencing symptoms, or live with it yourself.
Last week, I began a 12-week Family-to-Family education program hosted by NAMI Billings. Surrounded by others who share similar stories of grief and hope, I realized I wasn't the only one with a story of a family member in the depths of psychosis. I wasn't the only one who had extreme fears of relapse. It was okay to talk about it. There was no shame or stigma in that room.
In allignment with Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 4-10) and National Day Without Stigma (Oct. 5), I choose to dedicate my story, time, and effort to fundraise for NAMI Billings and the programs and support groups they offer to people like me who feel like there is no one.
Please help me spread awareness and decrease stigma surrounding mental illness.
You can do so by either contributing to my campaign, starting a campaign of your own with your own story (and link the proceeds to NAMI Billings), or play an active role online and in your community to talk about mental illness and what it means to you.
NAMI Billings is a non-profit organization, which functions solely on donations from people who support the cause for mental health wellness. If you've ever been touched by mental illness, please consider supporting me in my efforts.
So, who's with me?
Check out NAMI Billings' official webpage for the campaign here.
It's just not something people want to talk about, let alone deal with. Growing up, parents wouldn't let their children have playdates with me at my house because of my mother's eccentricities. Bipolar Disorder was apparently perceived as something you could catch, and nobody wants that.
The stigma, then, isolated me, just as it had done for my mother. She had no friends come to her house for support, even after her own son received troubling diagnoses of his own and she struggled to keep her family intact. She was to blame for her illness, and potentially even his, since we all know now that brain disorders have a genetic component. Our family had a mark against us and our community avoided us like the plague.
If only she had a support group or education course to guide her. If only someone spoke up and said they too experience mental illness. No one did.
When I got to high school, there wasn't anyone for me to talk about it to either. I had my school counselor, but that one-on-one experience didn't make me feel like I was one of many. I felt like this was my problem, my family's problem, and no one would ever understand what it was like to visit my family in mental hospitals... to have the staff know me by name... to worry about developing an illness myself, and to question whether I should have children of my own someday, because what if they inherit bipolar, asperger's, OCD, or addiction, too?
The experiences I've had with mental illness are nightmarish, but they make me who I am. As more and more celebrities come out of the woodwork to share their stories of hope and recovery, I am encouraged to share mine.
We all need an advocate.
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has the right idea. Their mission is to educate, advocate, and support everyone affected by mental illness, whether you are a family member of someone experiencing symptoms, or live with it yourself.
Last week, I began a 12-week Family-to-Family education program hosted by NAMI Billings. Surrounded by others who share similar stories of grief and hope, I realized I wasn't the only one with a story of a family member in the depths of psychosis. I wasn't the only one who had extreme fears of relapse. It was okay to talk about it. There was no shame or stigma in that room.
In allignment with Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 4-10) and National Day Without Stigma (Oct. 5), I choose to dedicate my story, time, and effort to fundraise for NAMI Billings and the programs and support groups they offer to people like me who feel like there is no one.
Please help me spread awareness and decrease stigma surrounding mental illness.
You can do so by either contributing to my campaign, starting a campaign of your own with your own story (and link the proceeds to NAMI Billings), or play an active role online and in your community to talk about mental illness and what it means to you.
NAMI Billings is a non-profit organization, which functions solely on donations from people who support the cause for mental health wellness. If you've ever been touched by mental illness, please consider supporting me in my efforts.
So, who's with me?
Check out NAMI Billings' official webpage for the campaign here.
Organizer
Tara Cady
Organizer
Billings Metropolitan Area, MT
NAMI-BILLINGS
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
