at st. Paul’s Hospital when you hear
this what do you think of me am i less
worthy more suspect I have 20 years
experience as a communications
professional yet with this new diagnosis
of bipolar disorder I fear people may
think I’m incompetent not worth hiring
if I told you a year ago I was in the
cancer ward would I worry about stigma
then why is there a difference I don’t
fault you for any prejudice I’ve been
battling my own self stigma I mean what
kind of person ends up in the mental
health ward a crazy person right that
can’t be me ironically I had been
developing a mental health webseries for
a few years prior to my hospitalization
I felt compelled to do this following
the death of my friend Barb’s daughter
hayden was 16 as a communications expert
I thought I could offer something
meaningful to help people turns out I
needed some of my own medicine when you
have a breakdown or a manic episode like
I did one of the misconceptions is that
you suddenly become less intelligent my
mind went to the wild side but my IQ
didn’t drop so I’m in the hospital
looking around when it occurs to me I
can investigate this place for our
normally documentary film producers are
not welcome to tour your local mental
health ward there are privacy concerns
but often the reports from the inside
aren’t entirely glowing in terms of how
the system is working or rather not
another insight bipolar hmm there’s a
box on grant applications disabled tick
might get us funding to finish our
project it wasn’t all silver linings
though I feared what this new bipolar
label would cost me I was the same
person but the world would surely view
me differently I had to lean on my
interviews with mental health advocates
to keep myself from believing the lies
that society tells us about mental
illness the point about illness is I’m
sick so what needs to be the approach
right I have good days I have bad days
so what I like the tone of that defiant
it takes the power away from this stigma
can you imagine going to a mental health
unit and going I’m gonna go transform
and everybody backing you up behind that
and understanding that and welcoming you
you know that people are met with that
hope not you know not this despair that
your crazy mental whatever that you’re
you’re actually brilliant you’re a
biological being going through a
transformation what if my breakdown was
actually the prelude to a breakthrough
one of the drivers for me and working on
this has been my father brilliant
funny loving a good man he had bipolar
disorder also my dad’s favorite cousin
Lorna was sent to a mental asylum as a
teenager and never spoken of again the
lesson it’s not safe to be crazy you
will be a source of shame to your family
you will be abandoned my dad would not
identify as having bipolar disorder
he lived without treatment my dad was in
a manic episode when he died of a heart
attack four years ago I believe at least
in part that stigma killed my dad this
has to stop it starts with me I refuse
to see myself as less worthy because my
brain works differently and I don’t want
to stand under the mental health
umbrella as it is now so I propose a
I’m not suggesting that we dress up a
dysfunctional system with lipstick and
call it a day in marketing we would
address the product itself if it was
failing so the work of mental health
reform still has to be done what I can
offer though is how to position mental
health in a more positive way there are
four essential actions we can take to
begin shifting our cultural narrative
one set the tone to change the narrative
three find common ground
four focus on outcomes set the tone in
marketing this means establishing the
mood or attitude associated with the
brand or product
I choose fierce compassion as the tone
for rebranding mental health fierce
compassion means heartfelt and powerful
action fierce we have to stand up to
attitudes and beliefs that do not serve
us and to a system that is failing
mental health is the orphan of the
healthcare system meanwhile depression
is the leading cause of ill health and
disability worldwide yet we’re not going
to deal with it because of stigma stigma
is a bully that needs to be put in its
place and governments and the health
care system must be held accountable for
their failure to adequately fund and
being cruel toward anyone who is
struggling with their mental health has
been normalized in ours
xiety our struggles are often treated as
a joke or dismissed the healthcare
system itself is not rooted in
compassion at the emergency care level
the standard is beds and meds which is
not the same as care and counseling if
we elevate our social norm to one that
is more compassionate we set the stage
for systemic reform including education
research treatment options
personalized medicine in a more holistic
approach change the narrative mental
health needs a new narrative before we
give the category new key messages
though let’s lose the language that
promotes stigma you won’t hear me say I
am bipolar I have bipolar disorder it’s
an illness I have it’s not who I am
it does not define me a person with
cancer does not say I am cancer if
you’re talking about me please don’t say
she is bipolar say she has bipolar
disorder next let’s replace issues with
challenges she has mental health issues
it’s too loaded we use she has issues as
an insult
most of us would own up to having
challenges but few of us wish to be
described as having issues a big one
people struggle with is talking about
suicide in the wake of a death by
suicide people commonly say
I don’t know what to say so often they
say nothing
silence breeze more life into shame and
stigma to start don’t say committed
suicide say died by suicide committed
suggests a criminal act it rings of
condemnation the truth is anyone can
become suicidal anyone can fall to their
knees in despair and think I can’t do
this anymore
suicide is a human phenomena find common
ground let’s lose the us and them in
this conversation there is no us and
them only us each of us with emotional
highs and lows each of us with the brain
that works well sometimes and not as
well other times so what if someone has
a mental health diagnosis and someone
else doesn’t the absence of the official
label is no guarantee you are mentally
well yourself perhaps that’s what scares
people better point at the crazy person
over there so nobody looks at me I have
bipolar disorder but you and I are not
so different raise your hand if you want
to feel peaceful raise your hand if you
me too
let’s start the conversation there with
the things we agree on our shared desire
and potential for good mental health
focus on outcomes when we run well it’s
not a pretty picture it freaks people
out so let’s not give the breakdown all
of the attention focus more on
breakthroughs peace of mind happiness
resilience we won’t deny the journey
there we will give space for healing I’m
just suggesting that we put more
emphasis on the endgame that’s why I
called our webseries making a comeback
and not suicide stories we will still
talk about suicide but our positioning
reassures people that we are emphasizing
solutions so they’re more likely to
engage with our content
I met a counselor from the crisis center
at a support group for people who lost a
loved one to suicide upon hearing of our
project she said good luck you’re gonna
need it no one wants to talk about this
she describes setting up her booth at a
busy mall on a Saturday and no one’s
stopping by what did your banners say I
asked her crisis center she replied
that’s a branding problem if her banner
had red happiness broker or peace of
mind found here she would have attracted
more interest the market needed her
product but she needed to adjust her
positioning that’s what I’m recommending
a change in our approach
it starts with ourselves compassion is
key it’s okay to break down it happens
to the best of us
we all need support with our health at
different times so asking for help and
accepting help is a good thing it
doesn’t mean you are less worthy it
means you are human if you are in
despair I ask you to be fierce as well
and hang in there when you think you
can’t you are stronger than you know
gather your allies for support be the
hero in your own story ready to make an
amazing breakthrough something each of
us can do ask yourself what is my
mindset towards other people’s mental
health if it’s based on stigma or
outdated familial or cultural norms then
modernize give your attitudes and
beliefs a makeover we urgently need your
support with this people are dying as I
speak during this talk 25 have died by
stigma is killing people it’s keeping
them from getting help it’s keeping our
healthcare system in the dark ages we
won’t fund what we don’t value so let’s
elevate the conversation let’s use the
same techniques marketers use to sell us
stuff we don’t need to instead promote
something we do need
let’s cultivate attitudes and beliefs
that empower us ditch the stigma lose
the shame tell a better story we can do
this and when we do it will be the
greatest comeback story ever thank you [Applause]