What follows is an outline for a talk I will give at the annual conference of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. More information about the society or the conference can be found at www.ssns.ca

The Connection Between Stigma and Paranoid Delusions/ Feelings of Persecution

Make no mistake, stigma is real, it affects how people treat us, and it is based on false believes about our intelligence and our character. Stigma can make schizophrenia much worse, as one very common symptom is paranoid delusions, where the person believes he is being spied on, talked out follow and plotted against. It is very hard, even for patients with insight about the illness and the prejudice that stigma creates, to discern the difference between them.

The thing we must remember is that people do not see the “real us”, they see a stereotype. Their behavior towards us is based on false beliefs and assumptions about mental illness, it isn’t personal, they don’t know us. It is hard for the recipient of such casual cruelty from complete strangers not to feel that there’s something terrible going on.

Hateful Terms and Freedom of Speech

Racist language in the mass media has come to be seen as, at the very best, in bad taste, and at it’s worst criminal. We feel the media should use the same sort of conscientious self-censure when reporting on issues and event concerning the mentally ill. Words like “crazy” and “maniac” should be avoided; they are hateful terms that can have a terrible impact on innocent peoples lives. They also shouldn’t use psychiatric terms like “psychotic” “schizophrenic” or “manic” unless they known what those terms actually mean. These are the same standards of reporting they are required to follow when writing about any other subject, but they can’t be bothered to learn the facts about mental illness. They have a duty to the public to be well informed and responsible. They have a duty not to spread fear and ignorance.

To date, the media has resisted all attempts to educate them and the public about the facts. There have been many initiatives to do this, and they have always resulted in an angry backlash from the media, who consider our concerns to be “political correct” and any criticism of their methods as “censorship.” We are not infringing on their freedom of speech; we are exercising our own. If they can say anything they want, regardless of the consequences, then so can we.

An example of the medias flagrant and illegal abuse of their freedom of speech is the case of a radio station in Quebec who announced one morning that a mentally ill person was a burden to society and should be gassed. If the DJ in question had been referring to Jews, he would be in prison right now, as well he should. But the press and the public were quick to cry “censorship” when the CRTC pulled the plug.

The stations attempts to reverse this decision were finally halted when a woman whom it had slandered sued the station and was awarded damages. The media then called this an example of how the courts can resolve such issues without any involvement with the government; of how people who have been slandered have a legal recourse they can use to stop such behavior. Unfortunately such a recourse is only available to can afford a lawyer, and most people with a mental illness do not have such a luxury. This isn’t an issue of the freedom of the press; this is a case of the media becoming a bully that will only attack people who can’t fight back.