Reaching Out With Revelation.

We live in a world where many have been subjected to stigma, stereotyping, labels and assumptions.   Perhaps a video like this will make those who too easily pass judgement, think again.

Some Never Left The Playground.

Ah, the playground, times recalled of the joy in a young child's heart.  The fun, the laughter, the innocent games of childhood.  Yet, not all children had games of fun to keep them amused.   For they were the playground bullies and the only games they wished to play, involved toying with the minds of the vulnerable little ones.
Some of the bullies never left the playground.  They brought their evil into their adult working lives.  The games, the mind games, took on a more sinister and complex nature.
I never really fit in at work.  I was different, a foreigner, an outsider.  I tried to ignore the abuse.  Maybe if I pretended the writing on the wall that stated, 'You foreign bastard!  Fuck off back to Canada!  Stop taking jobs away from us English!',  wasn't really there, that all would be okay.  Oh, how wrong I was.
The torrent of abuse, went on, unabated, for more than eight years, physically, financially, and worst of all, psychologically.  Here I was, a man trying to support his wife and son, falling apart and descending into a world or relentless insanity.  Racked with guilt, I felt I'd let my family down.  Once, a strong and happy man, now barely a man at all.
My mind and my body, could take no more.  I collapsed at home, a quivering wreck.  My doctor put me on sick leave.  This would be the start of a breakdown that scared and humbled me.
I returned to work a month later.  With trepidation, I attempted to do my daily routines.  'Hey nutter?!  What's wrong with you?  Poor baby not very well?!' taunted the bullies. Well, no I wasn't and I left the job, for good.
The ripple effect of leaving my job, was to take its toll on my family.  I turned to drink to numb the escalating reality that I was becoming mentally ill.  This only compounded the problem and my wife left with our son, to start a new life.  My breakdown was now in complete control of my life.  I turned into an incoherent, pathetic, shadow of a man.  Get drunk, pass out, wake up, get drunk, pass out.  This was my world.
You may have realised, that through sheer resilience and determination, that my life has turned around.  I challenged the negative environment within and without.  Yes, I am mentally ill.  This, however, has bestowed upon me a gift.  The gift of profound understanding and empathy for the innocent, the scared, the desperate. Fragile humans, tormented and abused, by those so insecure, that they need a victim to deflect away their inadequate feelings. Yes, I am mentally ill.  I thought it only happened to others.  Now I know that it can happen to anybody.
A bully needs an audience.  I walk the streets of town and sometimes see the bullies that came so close to destroying me.  I look at them , I smile and see the fear in their eyes.   For they fear the man who was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.  'What if the nutter is having a bad day?'  If only they could see the man and not their distorted perceptions of my illness.
The goal of my blog is to reduce the unfair stigma, the labelling, that so many of us with mental health issues, have to endure. We are all in this together.  No man shall be alone.  It's time to celebrate rather than fear our differences.  Let us truly create a positive environment where all mankind can rejoice in the wonderment of diversity.
I think back to the happy times of a little boy in a playground.  Some brought the darker side of the playground world into their adults lives.  Their ugly acts of inhumanity have caused intolerable grief to countless, defenceless victims.  It's time to stop, to think, and embrace the possibilities of a caring, kinder, more thoughtful world.
Here's wishing you a peaceful and positive New Year.

Stigmas And Stereotypes.

It seems to me we have some ways to go. The stigmas and the stereotypes, the foregone conclusions that certain segments of society perceive about mental health issues, is still prevalent.

There are people who are suffering with mental illness. They will not seek the help that is available. For, because of society's perceptions, they are too ashamed to admit they desperately need help in their world that is falling apart. To suffer is silence, out of fear of people's reactions; is a sad reflection on an indifferent, dismissive society.

It makes me wonder, and, perhaps it makes you wonder, just what it takes for the stigmas and the stereotypes to be eliminated. Mental illness can happen to anyone. Those that would mock individuals with mental health concerns, who think it is a form of weakness, I would urge them to think again. To those who think we should 'get a grip', it is not that straightforward, it is not that simple. To those who think that they would not be vulnerable to an overwhelming negative environment, think again.

Once upon a time, I thought that mental illness only happened to others. I was a 'tough guy', tough enough to overcome any obstacles that blocked my pathway. I was wrong. I was overwhelmed with a hysterical sense of doom. I fell apart, my confidence and self-worth became an insignificant speck, deep inside the mind of a tormented man. Relentless workplace bullying took its toll on my ever increasing fragile state of mind. I became a failure to my wife, I nearly broke the heart of our little boy who saw his Daddy becoming a weak, frightened little man.

Through sheer determination, and the vital help of those who empathise, somehow I stifled the flames of a mental inferno that came so close to engulfing me. Yes, I am still not very well, yet I realise that my mental illness is only a small portion of who I am. I can choose how much of my life it controls.

So this tough guy got humbled by his illness. To those who know me, who mock me, yet fear me; I wonder what the mocking is all about. Do these people who think me weak really believe that they could handle a negative environment that tries to drown their humanity? Do they fear me because they think I might have a funny turn and attack them? Do they think my mental illness is contagious? Do they fear me because they have concerns about their own mental health?

It is our responsibility to create a more positive environment. The mental health wellbeing of all of us depends upon it. It is time for those who continue to label us with stigmas and stereotypes to understand that a friendly, more understanding, more compassionate and respectful society will benefit all mankind.

Please Don't Look The Other Way

Greetings friends. The following is an article that I submitted to the Talkbank Times. I thought I would share it with you. Maybe some of you can relate to my experiences. We need to eliminate the stigma attached to mental health issues. You, the media and myself can do our bit to challenge the stereotyping that revolves around mental health concerns. I thank you.

I live in a small town. Living in a small town, when your life is falling apart, word soon gets around. Due to series of overwhelming negative circumstances, I broke down. The onslaught of my mental illness, caused me to end up in a psychiatric unit, very close to this small town.
A visitor to the hospital noticed me and couldn't wait to spread the word. When I returned home, I was subjected to ridicule. "Hey nutter, out of the nut house" they would say, as they laughed. I ignored them, it caused me anxiety but I tried to move on to a better life.
The years rolled by. Yet even now, when I see someone who knows about my past, they become very uncomfortable. I will be in a shop, I smile at them, they blank me. It is very sad, do I scare them? How can I convince them that I am a harmless man? I have committed no crime. Maybe just maybe, they worry that the 'mental guy' might be having a bad day. Do they fear for their safety? Or do they fear that what they perceive about me, might happen to them?
People in this small town, who do not know about my past, are kind to me. I have a great laugh with them. Oh they might think of me being somewhat unconventional in my attitude towards life, yet I detect no fear. They relate to a guy who has the ability to make people happy. That is all I want to do, bring to people's lives a bit of joy. If only those who would pass judgement could understand that, yes I am ill, but I challenge my negative world.
Those that feel awkward around me are aware of the stereotypes that surround mental health issues. They are aware of the negative sensationalism that the media has often portrayed. So wouldn't it be nice if they could read a story about someone who has mental health issues, yet remained undaunted in seeking positivity? Wouldn't it be nice that they read a story about a lonely, desperate man who was determined to get better? What if they read it and realised the story was about that 'nutter' who causes them such anxiety? What if they started to understand? Now that would be sensational.
Please don't look the other way, I extend my hand of friendship. There is nothing to fear.
Gary Pennick.