Dealling with stigma and misinformed people?

Unfortunately, there will always be those misinformed or not informed at all people around. Yes, this would be an excellent time to inform your co-worker in a respectful and gentle manner of the facts and the stigma that is still attached to mental illnesses, which is not a laughing matter..... I don't hear much anymore because people know where I stand with this issue... I dealt with this exactly how I have advised you to... It is always better to talk to someone and explain this, not an email. This way he will know how serious you are concerning these matters.....I wonder if people would ignore this if it was cancer, or another life threatening illness. This should not be treated any differently. Many people have also died from this illness. Do what you feel is in your heart to do, but remember these are ways we get the message out to those who know little to nothing about this.

Hi,

I'm bipolar, too, btw; but that's really irrelevant.

I'm used to ignorant people; I was raised by them.

Eventually I learned that the ugly truth is these people don't want to be informed; they don't want to know the reality. You'd be talking to a wall. They are more interested in thinking that they were correct to begin with; you can present to them all the logic you want to, all the reliable sources of fact you can find, and they'll just choose to believe those sources are wrong; those arguments are pointless, and that you are the one misinformed.

I encounter these people all the time. After many agonizing years, I've determined it's best to just walk away (I know how hard that is, LOL, especially for us bipolars!) and let them be stupid. It's a matter of either expending tons of effort or saving your energy for something more important. Either path you choose will end up at the same destination. Might as well save your energy. You can't fix stupid.

i know exactly how you feel JG! Although I have to say, that you seem to have acted rationally in response to this, I have a tendency to either fly off the handle at the person in question or else I keep my mouth shut and burn up internally with anger. Some people are just so misinformed. If you feel you want to explain your reasoning to him, then send him an email, but I don't think you really owe him an explanation.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do hun.x x x

I might withhold judgment. I recognise that persons can difference their minds. It occurred to me (I was once a lovely hardcore polytheist and am now an atheist), and it could occur to others for any quantity of motives. People have distinctive studies and are available to distinctive conclusions. There isn't any purpose a man or woman are not able to difference their brain approximately matters or have an revel in someplace alongside the way in which that calls for them to take action. Such is existence.

I know how you feel ive got mental health condition and it's so fustrating because you wonder who to tell about your illness and you just want to keep your mouth shut because somewhere at the back of the mind you dont know how they will react or what they will say.

Its would alright if you have diabetes or cancer because its physical you can see it in xrays..blood test etc...but mental illness is like what others assume people have made up or are trying to get attention it irritates me so much.

I am not sure about schizophrenia

or bi-polar but I have OCD so I do sorter know what you are talking about. It seems really ignorant when people respond to things like that in that way. What makes it more annoying is when they don't even know what they are talking about. I know if they had any thing like that they wouldn't be laughing. I say just go along when with the joke your in a situation like that it's a battle that can't be won.

Anyways it's your choice what you do, Good Luck!!!!=]=]

It's hard to ignore at times, but remember most people are just trying to get through there own missery by focussing and joking about others. I don't really think people mean to be as cruel and ignorant, they really just don't know any better. It is hard to not snap at times as we are only human with feelings, but try not to take things to personally as most people out there will not care and we are only hurting our selves by being upset and angry. Let it be....

Honestly I wouldn't say anything. It'll look bad for you and funny for them. So just take it as a joke and just let it go, honestly.