1. A CALL TO END THE STIGMAS
ATTACHED TO MENTAL ILLNESS
Holland Stocker

2. ‘Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and
bias shame us all.’ - President Bill Clinton
s attached to
The stigma rong.
illnes s are w
m ental
Education
and
understand
ing need to
made univ be
ersal.

3. ‘But the hard truth is, in too many of our communities and in too many of
our hearts, mental illness is misunderstood and feared.’ - President Clinton
However, the it is hard to address because
mental illness is not visible and the topic and
frequently avoided.

4. ‘We know that mental illness is not something that
happens to other people. It touches us all.’ - Tipper Gore
is
ily t.
fam en
and reatm
ds g t
rien kin
m f see
fro en
ort t wh
pp an
Su ort
imp

5. ‘Why then is mental illness met with so much misunderstanding
and fear? We have come so far in the diagnosis and treatment of
mental illness, but our attitudes have lagged far behind.’ - Tipper
Gore
any
s, m
sti gma
the o seek .
u e to aid t ent
er, d oo afr f judgm
wev re t
Ho le a
r fe ar o
p
peo nt fo
tme
trea

6. ‘Too many people with mental illness are denied the
opportunity to fully participate in American life.’ - President Clinton
en tal
withm
eo ple lly’.
en t, p
‘no rma
e atm tion
Wit h tr nf unc
s ca
ill nes

7. ‘Many live in fear that they will lose their
jobs, their home, or their health benefits if
their condition becomes known.’ - Tipper Gore
Having personally dealt with
mental illness,
I know it wasn’t
until I was willing
to accept help that I
got better.

8. ‘One of the most widely believed and most
damaging myths is that mental illness is a
personal failure, not a physical disease.’ - Tipper Gore
my f ather
a th of red.
ter t he de s left
scar
Af I wa
t age ten,
a
Changes were obvious, but I
remained relatively ‘normal’
for some time afterward.

9. ‘We must start by talking honestly about the
problem...’ - President Clinton
At age
fourteen
everything
began to
c
o I suffered from
l post-traumatic
l stress disorder,
a which led to
p depression and
s severe anxiety.
e.

10. ‘These myths don't just harm people with mental disorders; they hurt all of us.’ - Tipper Gore
Fo r an entire summer I
would not leave the house,
and I would stay at home
from school or leave early
du e to unmanageable and
frequent panic attacks.

11. ‘But left untreated, mental illness can
spiral out of control, and so can the
cost of mental health care.’ - President Clinton
My heart raced. My throat
became dry. My thoughts
were uncontrollable. I
was afraid,
embarrassed, and
unwilling to admit I was
“crazy”.

12. ‘Increasingly, we are learning that many mental
disorders are biological in nature and can be
medically treated—in some cases, more effectively
than illnesses like heart disease.’ - Tipper Gore
ry 2 007
nua
lly, in Ja eek
Fina ded to s the
I de ci t. It was
n de.
tme ion I ma
trea ecis
b est d

13. ‘New drugs and better community health
services are making it possible for even those
with the most severe disorders to live
healthier, more productive lives.’ - Tipper
Gore
or
t f ter
is a
og d l
ol an
y ch s .I
a ps ear rist
w wo y iat e.
I sa t ch cin
er psy di
ov a me
saw on
nt I got better.
we

14. ‘One in four Americans has a family member
with a mental illness; and virtually every
American has a friend, a neighbor, or a
colleague with a mental illness.’ - Tipper Gore
upport
d the s and
e whil e I ha tors,
All th ily, my doc
fam
of my riends I had told. I
the few f listened.
talked . They
I got better.

15. ‘One in four Americans has a family member
with a mental illness; and virtually every
American has a friend, a neighbor, or a
colleague with a mental illness.’ - Tipper Gore
upport
d the s and
e whil e I ha tors,
All th ily, my doc
fam
of my riends I had told. I
the few f listened.
talked . They
I got better.

16. ‘Too many people with mental illness are denied the opportunity to fully
participate in American life.’ - President Clinton
Without their support I never
would have spent summers in
Germany or have gone away from
home for college.
Grüße aus
Heidelberg!

17. ‘We must all do our part to break the silence about mental illness.’ - Tipper Gore
know
le d on’t
eop een
ny p ve b
Ma
at I ha not
wh I am
gh.
t hrou d, but I hers
ash ame tha t ot
nize erstand.
cog und
re
wil l not

18. ‘Every day, in every community in America, millions of Americans
and their families face the problem of mental illness.’ - Tipper Gore
However, because of
the support I had, I
was able to
overcome my illness
and be who I wanted
to be.

19. ‘One out of ten children suffers from some form of mental
illness, from mild depression to serious mental disease. But
fewer than 20 percent receive proper treatment.’ - President Clinton
It is a ta
boo top
affects m ic, and
illions o yet it
worldwi f people
de. No o
ashame ne shou
d of hav ld be
illness. ing a m
ental

20. ‘Together, we will replace stigma with acceptance,
ignorance with understanding, fear with new hope
for the future. Together, we will build a stronger
nation for the new century, leaving no one behind.’ -
President Clinton
Just Listen.

21. Resources:
Images:
Slide 1: http://www.katemclaughlin.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mental-illness2.jpg
Slide 2: http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/MentalHealth/Recovery/KnowledgeIsPower/Stigma/~/media/health/mentalHealth/recovery/bigotrySign.ashx
Slide 3: http://trendsupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/workplace-discrimination.jpg
Slide 4: http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/family_handbook/images/handbook_cover.gif
Slide 5: http://www.bipolarlifestyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/MentalIllnessAwareness.jpg
Slide 6: http://www.burgsimpson.com/images/discrimination.jpg
Slide 7: http://scienceblogs.com/thoughtfulanimal/2010/11/05/mentalillness.jpg
Slide 8: http://www.suzannesutton.com/_borders/anguish.jpg
Slide 9: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4606907454_36171157df.jpg
Slide 10: http://www.realbollywood.com/news/up_images/11119556.jpg
Slide 11: http://depressiontreatmenthelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/anxiety-attacks-symptoms-facts.jpg
Slide 12: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OEoNzDCQX5s/TCJHN0iK1mI/AAAAAAAACwA/P8yxJ9B9Pk4/s400/Lucy+the+psychiatrist.gif
Slide 13: http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/pills2.gif
Slide 14: http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01593/images/Family%20Support.gif
Slide 15: Own Image
Slide 16: http://www.portalhunt.com/site/images/stories/secret.jpg
Slide 17: http://empax.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/crowd-in-the-rain.jpg
Slide 18: http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/i/j0187159.gif
Quotes:
The American Presidency Project: The President’s Radio Address - June 5, 1999: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=57689&st=mental
+illness&st1=#axzz1GSJIselF
The American Presidency Project: Remarks at the White House Conference on Mental Health - June 7, 1999: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?
pid=57691&st=mental+illness&st1=#axzz1GSJIselF