Stigma and Discrimination
By Jay Gilpatrick

Stigma is defined as "a mark or token of infamy, disgrace or reproach" and "a mark or characteristic indicative of a history of disease or abnormality."

Discrimination is a great and multifaceted problem within the mental health system. It hurts people in many different ways. People diagnosed with a mental illness understand it only too well. Not only may they feel shunned by others, but they may also feel less capable because of the stigma and thereby accept it as correct. In this way, it is a sort of stigma from within oneself. It is wrong that many people who work in the mental health field are paid lower salaries than people in other occupations. Mental health workers themselves may treat those with a mental illness as sick instead of being on the way to recovery.

Another major way discrimination hurts people is that it causes undiagnosed people with mental illness to refrain from seeking help. This is because mental illnesses carry the burden of discrimination and people do not want to be classified as mentally ill. I think many people have lived their entire lives with a mental illness. For these people, I am sure life has been a very difficult experience which could have been moderated or contained with the proper medical treatment or counseling.

The signposts of discrimination are everywhere. Everywhere. One example is a comment like: "He must be off his medication" Another example of discrimination is the fact that many state constitutions call people "lunatics" who are ineligible to vote. In the November 2000 elections, voters in Maine chose to reject a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have removed a prohibition of the right to vote for people with mental illnesses subject to guardianship orders. A decade ago my psychiatrist said, "Nothing is normal." This implies there is a wide range of personalities and behaviors. So, to say someone is normal may have no meaning at all. Does this also mean that all people are potential consumers of mental health services?

Now, think of all the different groups of people in society who have been, or still are, discriminated against: African Americans, Latinos, Polish, Jewish and, Catholic people. I found especially disturbing the recent burning of black churches in the south, suspected racial profiling nationally, and (here in Buffalo) attempts by several neighborhood groups to move people who are mentally ill or university students out of their neighborhoods.

Acceptance is what a group called Citizens Against Discrimination stands for. Advocating for human rights in the community is what is important. There are too many people who are not accepted. Not accepting people goes far beyond just people with mental illnesses.

Allentown and Elmwood corridor block clubs are blaming people with mental illnesses for neighborhood problems. They believe that people with mental illnesses are barriers to upper-class neighborhoods, safe streets and high property values. The agencies that provide mentally ill people with needed services have been subject to the same discrimination under the name of human services agency saturation. So called "neighborhood leaders" say they are not being discriminatory, but they think we could find a better location because they think there are just too many of us. It is easy to read between the lines. It is discrimination.

At another community meeting, a few residents were concerned about the safety of their children, panhandling, prostitution, remarks to women passing by and people just hanging out. These few residents were making mentally ill people the scapegoats for all neighborhood problems. There is apparently no escape from the allegations. I feel the discussion about human service agencies is just a cover for discrimination. When club members denied this, these residents claimed that criminals were hiding behind our public face. But, for the grace of God, mental illness could have struck their family just as easily.

Central Referral Services conducted a survey of locations of human services agencies. The survey covers an area bounded by Main, Forest, Richmond and Virginia streets. There are 67 locations shown on a map of the area. The locations vary from the Adult Learning Center to Child and Family Services, the Episcopal Church Home, Spectrum Human Services, and Millard Fillmore Hospital.

Recently there was a controversy in Buffalo over Children’s Hospital moving to another area. There was an uproar from community leaders over this human service agency moving.

Also included in the Central Referral Services survey was a map of human service agencies overlaid with land use. It clearly shows that most of the agencies are located in commercial areas.

The Western New York Independent Living Center did a survey regarding human service agencies in this neighborhood. It shows a much different picture regarding this area. The survey show a broad base of support for the vulnerable populations in the community. Seventy-three percent of 209 people responding said they were not opposed to the opening of a human service agency on their block. When asked whether they think it is the community’s responsibility to serve vulnerable citizens in the vicinity, 85 percent said yes. Furthermore, only 10 percent said they rely on block clubs regarding information about these agencies. This tells me that the block clubs do not represent the vast majority of citizens in this area.

Again, acceptance is the issue. Former President George Bush said he would like to see a "kinder, gentler" America. I liked him as President very much. I think there is too much competition in this country among individuals. It sometimes seems as if everyone is trying to take advantage of other people. I think many people would be happier if they would just get along.