About Me

Kent, United Kingdom
I have the perfect family but still struggle to find the light in the darkness of post-natal depression.

Monday 21 July 2008

Ha!

I do love when those in authority recognise how clever and right I am!
Of course this report, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7514115.stm,
was published with perfect timing to coincide with my insightful post on Friday...
If you can't be bothered to click on the link, here are the first two paragraphs...
"Nine out of ten people with mental health problems in England say they are frequently stigmatised - often by those closest to them, a survey has found.
Strangers in shops or public transport were likely to be the most accepting, with family and neighbours more likely to treat them differently."
That mirrors my own experience in a way - although my family have been as supportive as they can be it is often strangers who are most accepting.
I am sure that those who do treat me differently do so with the best of intentions - oh, Liz is a bit fragile so we'd better be gentle...that sort of thing.
But that's not always what I want. It's what I was trying to say the other day - I'm still me, just me with a bit of wonky thinking sometimes.
There was a perfect example today - someone asked Mark how I was because I had seemed a bit down.
Which is fine, in itself. But first of all, why not ask me? Maybe because they don't want to face me and discuss my mental health - although that same person would have no qualms asking how my knee was, to refer back to my previous example.
And secondly, what is the poor guy supposed to say? Fine is clearly the wrong answer, worrying about sliding back into the pits of depression is probably wrong too...in the end he went for a bit stressed out and that seemed to suffice.
But I suppose at least the fact that they are asking is a start!
x

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