Imagine There Was No Stigma to Mental Illness | Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman | TEDxCharlottesville
Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Columbia University and past President of the American Psychiatric Association, envisions that breaking down the barrier which arises from our stigmatizing mental health would result in better treatment for millions of individuals.
Jeffrey Lieberman has devoted his life to the study and treatment of mental illness. He has passionately advocated for more research and better treatment of people with mental illness, and contributed to mental health care policy and legislation including the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. Dr. Lieberman is Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Columbia University, Psychiatrist-in-Chief at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and past President of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Lieberman has authored over than 500 scientific articles and written or edited 12 books on mental illness and psychiatry, including the critically acclaimed Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry (Little Brown 2015).
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
30 Comments
In the 1980s the Campaign against Psychiatric Oppression (CAPO) met for regular music and poetry meetings in the Troubadour Café, London, to express their response to how people had been treated. I find it absurd that instead of learning from people who are classified as mentally ill and thereby changing society to avoid making people ill, we continue to support a socio-economic system built on cooperative abuse and exploitation, resulting in the adverse consequences for millions of people.
Imagine there was no stigma, we could get all people to confess their weaknesses and get them hooked on neurotoxic, addictive drugs… 😂
One reason there is stigma to mental illness is that small fraction of the mentally ill lash out violently, killing or seriously injuring others without any rationale or justification. So, despite the rarity of violent behavior, they have become intertwined in most people's mind.
Although Dr Lieberman did not say that it is common for mental illness to cause violent acts, those who do associate mental illness with violence could be left with the impression that he was implying that. He gave several examples of how mental illness affects people and a disproportionate number of them were linked to violence. I don't think that was intentional, I believe it had more to do with the time constraints for the talk, but at some point he should have emphasized the fact that most people who suffer from mental illnesses do not become violent. Emphasizing how rarely mental illness causes violence is a crucial part of de-stigmatising mental illness.
Imagine that a person diagnosed as "mentally ill" wasn't subjected to involuntary treatments and couldn't lose his freedom and his rights. The "stigma" is often a perfectly legitimate revulsion to coercive psychiatric practices. It is the stigmatization of behaviors disapproved by others, not a branch of medicine. Let's ask Brittney Spears if there is a stigma.
Brilliant man with a kind heart. Keep sharing this message.
If mental illness did not have a stigma attached to it, there are so many good things that would come to those who struggle with these illnesses. First off, they would not struggle to find help. Many who struggle with mental illness are embarrassed to talk about it, so they don’t. This leads to them trying to deal with it on their own without professional or even personal help from others. If they weren’t embarrassed, then they would seek help earlier and be diagnosed earlier leading to a more favorable outcome for those people.
No one has ever suggested just going on a walk or to just tough it out for a broken leg. But there are so many people who suggest that for people who are dealing with mental illness struggles. If the stigma did not exist then people would look at mental illness the same as they view physical illness. This would lead to more support for those living with mental illnesses.
Individuals living with mental illness would not have to worry about the negative effects of stigma, such as social isolation and out right discrimination. They would be able to openly discuss their experiences and receive support from others without fear of judgment or rejection. This will lead to increased community support and understanding for individuals with mental health disorders.
A world without mental illness stigma would be one of increased compassion for others. Little by little this stigma is going away but there are still a lot of people who hold on to those beliefs of the past. We need to make a conscious effort to get rid of the ideas that we hole about people who are struggling with any sort of illness. This change in view will only lead to a better place for every one to live in.
There wouldn't be mental illness if it wasn't for the stigma.
Yes in a years' time I met with 7 people with mental health problem. Alzheimers', ADHD ,depression, manic, attempt suicide, anxiety ,all appeared in front of me.
Every single psychiatric label stigmatizes the person being labeled and as long as we continue to use psychiatric labels (contained within the DSM) to describe behaviors, psychiatry will continue to profit while the public suffers. No psychiatric label, no billing insurance. No psychiatric label, no drug prescribed. So until we stop using these psychiatric labels, which mean nothing other than what some psychiatrists decided was a mental “illness,” we will never stop the “stigma.” The psychiatric labels are backed by corporate interests not medicine, and not science.
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I don't know who this guy is but I'm the real Jeffrey Lieberman…ME 😈🤘
The stigma? The stigma begins with the psychiatrists themselves. They're the ones who do the stigmatizing.
This is life changing awareness!
Nah see you already pissed me off, autism and ADHD aren't intellectual disability's. Just over a minute and you've already got your facts wrong.
People can be really cruel and predatory toward people with mental illness.
And it’s the branding of African people during slavery.
You have to be kidding, he has drunk the Kool-Aid and believes in biological psychiatry and neuroscientific remedies 100%, in spite of the fact that the DSM is mostly anecdotal and made-up, generated by consensus by mainstream psychiatrists who were and still are paid by the drug industry to falsify research, and provide misinformation to both the government and public. All for profits, not the public good. And that there is no actual evidence that there are any biological markers for psychological states such as anxiety, depression, and even schizophrenia… and no "chemical imbalances" needing correction for supposed low Serotonin, high Dopamine, etc. No proof has ever been found. Please, before you buy into his disease model of looking at virtually every human manifestation, all these bogus "disorders," consider reading some of these authors: Robert Whitaker, Joanna Moncrieff, Peter Gotzsche, James Davies, Peter Breggin, and many more. The truth is that psychiatric conditions are almost never real diseases (unless there is organic damage) and the profession should not be based on the medical model. There is a huge epidemic of false or partial diagnoses, with chemical treatment plans which, when implemented long-term, almost usually cause the very symptoms (anxiety, depression brain fog, tremors, and many more) that they are supposedly treating. When the person tries to taper off the symptoms this is called "relapse" by the shrinks rather than withdrawal or discontinuation symptoms. Then… wait for it, the "patient'" is usually given higher doses of the same drug, or put on a cocktail of at least 3-4 drugs. And… wait for it, the "doctor" has almost no idea how they work physically and/or psychologically. Everything he knows comes from books and the drug companies. From perhaps a sponsored trip to a pharmaceutical conference in a nice location like Las Vegas, where he is given tons of freebies, and perhaps financial offers to become a consultant. Finally, there a numerous informative and inspiring videos and podcasts on YouTube with both experts and psychiatric survivors (e.g. Laura Delano) telling their stories and providing wisdom. As Peter Gotzsche repeatedly states in his books and talks, if you are having a psychological problem, the last person you want to see, at least at the beginning of your healing journey, is a psychiatrist. The last. Go to a good therapist or another kind of healer. And skip the "depression pills" and "psychosis pills" and benzo, and… unless you really, really, really need. them. And if you do, try to get off in a matter of weeks or months. Or not, the choice is yours!
Who else is here for school?
For those of you who have not figured it out, the reason why their is such a stigma with depression is because its intentional – the fact is CAPITALISM is the cause of most depression in the modern world and we DARE NOT SPEAK THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH!
I admit I suffer from Depression,Bipolar,Anxiety,Ptsd plus some physical issues. I’ve endured so I much trauma through my life. Fact Is I no longer have that. I do find most basic things incredibly exhausting and stressful. Its like I can longer handle stress such as bills. I am currently in my bed unable to get out, meaning 4 days now not showering randomly eating napping here and there. Sleep pattern is off. This is a day in the life of a mental disorder. One would ever know if you seen me. I am a model, non union actresses a grandmother and parent. I love my family and have a handful of true friends. Its not ever enough. Its all in my mind. I fight the horrid thoughts daily. It matters none how one looks. This is a definite blind disability. I am trying to be helpful by sharing reaching out.
I don’t know you but if you are the one whom suffers such as I do, perhaps you understand this is very real and quite draining. To those whom know anyone that has bipolar, let it not be a stigma. This is real. There is no cure yet.
Bump for the Algorithm god.
Psychiatry is based on pseudoscience. If mental illness is destigmatizzed, people will just eat more pills. Take responsibility for your mind.
Maybe it's the environment that is excepted "normal" that puts pressure on those who don't like it.
Wow! What an Inspirational Sharing of Knowledge. Thank You
Let's play detective: funds are missing, but we're on the case to get them back.
Mental illness is a total epidemic in the United Stares and world. He has a point how far WE come in medicine that in human history needs to be known more. And the truth is all psychiatric disorders are hard to solve. The stress it takes. It’s all about self control and medication which is importance to others. If psychiatrist weren’t around human history would be a non existent.
God bless therapist and all others. I use to work at a hospital as an employee at Kaiser Permanente in California. Now on disability. Dealing with mental illness. So this guy has a point.that the US is in a rough patch.
"Mental illness is a medical* condition"👍
*Stigma "can" be a sign of mental illness😔
I do not imagine there is not , I refuse to give into psychiatrists who say there is.