Global mind shift

By Doreen Marion Gee

Violent. Flawed. Scary. Untrustworthy. They should be bound up, locked up, thrown away, chased away, excluded, expunged and shunned. Myths and urban legends about people with mental illnesses abound. The mentally ill are our new age lepers, cast away into fetid corners of closed minds. Discrimination against people with mental illnesses in modern society is as rampant as any 1950s "Colored Only" segregation, gay-bashing or cross burning. We are still in the dark ages; people with psychological illnesses are often excluded from jobs and opportunities and are denied even the most basic needs. The mentally ill are the most recent frontier when it comes to human rights. But the ground is shifting and a more hopeful sun is rising. On a global level, exciting headway is being made to discard the past and bring vulnerable, ill people into the light of progress and freedom. A recent conference in Ottawa brought international attention to the ugly underbelly of stigma and brought a paradigm shift towards inclusion, understanding and global solutions.

It was heady stuff during those glorious halcyon days in our nation's capital. I felt truly honoured to listen to the best minds on the planet when it comes to that corrosive stigma about mental illness. The conference, "Together Against Stigma: Changing How We See Mental Illness," was held from June 4 - 6 in Ottawa. Around 670 people from 29 countries participated in the event. They included leading psychiatrists, researchers, stakeholders, policy makers and organizations involved in anti-stigma initiatives. Most importantly, close to 200 participants had 'lived experience' and they shared the stage and the discussions with the academics. It was an inclusive event; I was warmed and encouraged by the serious level of respect and compassion towards people in the room living with debilitating mental health conditions.

Over the three days, I revelled in talks and workshops about discrimination and human rights, film and media depictions of mental illness, stigma within the healthcare professions and in the workplace, and I heard about brilliant strategies being used to eradicate the stigma about mental illness around the world. There was an intoxicating feeling of hope in the room and I was addicted. A high point was a mesmerizing talk by the actress Glenn Close who spoke about silence and taboo amidst illness, death and suicide in her perfect family. Her sister's bipolar disorder jolted Glenn into becoming a courageous celebrity advocate, upholding the rights of the mentally ill to lives free of prejudice. Some of the highlights for me: raising awareness in the media industry about their negative messaging on the subject of mental illness; Dr. Norman Sartorius' words about "Enlightened Opportunism" - challenging that stigma at every opportunity in our own lives (Sartorius helped spear-head the Ottawa event); the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a tool to protect the rights of those with mental illnesses; and the personal crusades of ordinary people to raise awareness and promote inclusion and compassion in our communities.

I met amazing humans in Ottawa. One of them was Micheal Pietrus, the head of the "Opening Minds" anti-stigma national initiative through the Mental Health Commission of Canada. In a recent talk, he declared that he is optimistic for the future. The conference has catalysed an international association of all of the organizations involved in anti-stigma work around the globe. We are all in this together.

The shifting sands and minds of a world community is ensuring a positive future for people with lived experience - a life of freedom, dignity and opportunity. The time has come for people with mental illnesses to walk through open doors with the sun on their backs, their dreams unfolding.

Contacts and information:  

www.mentalhealthcommission.ca; mpietrus@mentalhealthcommission.ca; Conference abstracts and keynote talks are on the MHC website plus videos of all presentations and an e-book about the conference are coming soon to the site.