b'How to Fight Stigma IfYou Experience Mental IllnessA Loved One Experiences Mental IllnessRecognize you are not to blameRecognize your loved one is not to blame you did not ask for or do anything for their condition and deserves yourto deserve this condition supportSeek treatment Oer support and practical helpRead what health experts have Read what health experts have to sayto say about the condition about the conditionRead the experiences of people Read the experiences of people with theliving with the condition condition and their care partnersSpeak about your experience Listen nonjudgmentally to your loved oneto loved onesDont isolate yourself or try to hide Respectfully check in with your loved oneyour struggles about how theyre doingJoin a support group Join a care partners support groupReject self-blame or negative self-talk Avoid stigmatizing languageConsider being open about your Dont speak publicly about a loved ones conditioncondition without their consentStigmatizing Language What is stigmatizing language? Its speech that reinforces negative stereotypesabout people with mental illness, or dehumanizes them. Often, this language is noteven talking about people who are mentally ill, but comparing bad behavior to mentalillness. Consider these examples.They say When they mean The truth He went totallyHe lost his temper People experiencing psychosis are notpsychotic on me. and was out of necessarily angry or violent. Very often,control. they are vulnerable and afraid.She is so OCD. She is fastidious People can be extremely focused onOne little thing outand insists on having neatness or organization without havingof place and she everything just so. obsessive-compulsive disorder. Peoplecomments on it. with OCD are not all compulsively neat.Everybody getsEverybody feels Clinical depression is not the same asdepressed. down sometimes. having periods of the blues. It is nottrue that everyone gets depressed inthe clinical sense.This weather isThe weather has This perpetuates the myth that bipolarbipolarI never been changing moods change daily or hourly. Bipolarknow what to wear.frequently. episodes may last for weeks or months.Dont have a panicDont be soA panic attack is not just feeling worriedattack over it.worried. or upset. It is a complex physiologicalresponse that involves heart rate, breathing,hormones, and emotional state.Shes a She is diagnosed A person is not dened by their mentalschizophrenic. with schizophrenia. illness. It is one trait among many thatmake up who they are.22'