Stigma still attached to illness

By MAUREEN MCGUINNESS- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

A stigma still surrounds mental illnesses. Many people believe that they are character flaws or weaknesses. But mental illnesses -- which include depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia -- are physical illnesses that can be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, biological illnesses, hormonal imbalances and genetic abnormalities of the brain.

"These are neuro-biological brain disorders," Sharon Adamowski said. "The stigma will continue until people understand these are physical diseases. My son was a National Honor Society student at Albany Academy. Some of our most gifted people get hit with this and yet people equate mental illness with weak character."

Like diabetes, mental illness can be a life-long condition. It was for Pat Hayner's boyfriend.

"He had a breakdown years ago when he was in his forties," she said. "It was clinical and very deep depression. For many years, he was in good condition, but then he had a serious decline three years ago. It was like a roller coaster. His sister didn't understand his situation and would say to him, `Get yourself out of this,' but they can't do it by themselves.

"I kept hoping that this would be the time he'd get well, that he'd have a smile on his face again. Eddie took his own life. He died when he was 69. I had hoped up until the end that he would get well. Each time he had a setback, it became more than he could handle." (MM)

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