Τρέλα, αρρώστια ή αναπηρία;

Από το πολύ καλό mental health survivor blog "because...", ένα προσωπικό σχόλιο για την ψυχ. ασθένεια, την προκατάληψη, και το αν η τρέλας (madness) διαφοροποιείται για τα ίδια τα άτομα από την αρρώστια ή την αναπηρία.
Ποιά είναι η τρέλα και ποιά η αναπηρία;

I copied this from the press release for the British Social Attitudes Survey which was released yesterday. You can download the pdf press release from the National Centre for Social Research website which provides a lot of interesting reading on a wide range of topics. The most commonly reported topic seems to have been about whether people identify as British or as Scottish, English, Irish, Welsh etc. But interesting as that is, it is a bit off topic for this blog, so let's go to look at what the survey tells us about perceptions of disability, in particular perceptions of 'mental illness' as a disability.

SURVEY REVEALS WIDESPREAD PREJUDICE AGAINST DISABLED PEOPLE

Most people (75%) think that there is prejudice against disabled people in Britain today – but according to the latest British Social Attitudes Report, only 25% think that there is a lot of prejudice. At the same time, the survey respondents actually express views which indicate quite widespread prejudice.
What’s more, there is considerable confusion about what constitutes disability: more than a half of respondents don’t think of schizophrenia as a disability; and nearly a third think that someone who is temporarily on crutches with a broken leg is disabled. The latter does not fall under the definition used in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
The Report from NatCen finds that there is widespread unease at the prospect of coming into contact with some types of disabled people:
• Only 29% of respondents say that they would feel very comfortable if someone with schizophrenia moved in next door (even if they knew that the condition had been successfully managed for several years).
• Only 19% say that they would feel very comfortable were a person with schizophrenia to marry a close relative of theirs.
• While this sort of prejudice is most pronounced for mental health impairments, it is also evident for other impairments: for example only 21% of respondents say that they would be very comfortable if a close relative married someone with a long-term health condition like MS or severe arthritis, and only around half (51%) would be very comfortable with their relative marrying a blind person.
Knowing disabled people has a consistent impact in reducing prejudice. People who have first or second hand experience of disability tend to perceive prejudice to be more widespread and to hold less negative attitudes towards disabled people.
For example, 82% of people who don’t know anyone who is disabled say that they would not feel very comfortable with someone with schizophrenia moving in next door, compared with 71% of people who know someone who is disabled and 62% of people who are themselves disabled.
Author John Rigg comments: ‘Policies aimed at integrating disabled people more closely into society not only help disabled people themselves, but serve to reduce prejudice in the long term by fostering greater contact between disabled and non-disabled people.’
The legal definition of disability in the DDA is any person who has a physical or mental impairment or long-term health condition, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
But the Report shows that the general public has a narrower view of what constitutes ‘a disabled person’, one that is focused on physical impairments:
• Only 48% of respondents think someone with schizophrenia is disabled; just 44% think that someone with cancer or an older person who requires a hearing aid is disabled; and only 25% think that someone with a severe facial disfigurement is disabled. All of these conditions are likely to fall under the legal definition.
• In contrast, 31% of respondents think that a person with a broken leg who uses crutches while it heals is disabled – a temporary condition that is not covered by the DDA.
Government and campaigning organisations need to be aware that simply referring to ‘disabled people’ will not necessarily mean the same to the general public as the legal definition.
ENDS
This summarises ‘Disabling attitudes? Public perspectives on disabled people’ by John Rigg, in British Social Attitudes: the 23rd Report – Perspectives on a changing society, published by Sage for NatCen.

Lots to chew over here - I know that a survey a few years ago (can't remember and no time to check just now!) that most people with long term mental health problems did not identify as disabled but as ill.

And what about those of us with recurrent or fluctuating conditions which might not fit in the time frame of the legal definition - e.g. seasonal affective disorder which can incapacitate someone severely for a few months but not affect them at all the rest of the year?

Or those of us who are stable for a couple of a years at a time (perhaps on medication) but then have a period of mental distress - our diagnosis stays with us when stable, and so does the stigma, but if we are lucky not to have bad side-effects, we may not feel we are disabled by the condition?

And what about the attitudes of other disabled groups to people with mental health problems? I know it was an issue for me once when I was involved with some disabled people, the attitude was that "though our bodies might not work, there was nothing wrong with our minds". But what about those of us who have minds which have something wrong with them? (When I think about this, I wonder whose mind doesn't, but hey, let's not go there right now.)

What is hopeful is that these attitudes are being explored and challenged and worked around. There is a process going on which is encouraging.

I think of myself more and more as disabled rather than "ill" and find this a more empowering and hopeful view of my depression/bipolarity/personality disorder/mental-ness. It is about accepting and accommodating and working around and getting support more than seeking treatment and cure. There is no magic wand for me but there is hope that I live a good life, as I understand it, and more and more, despite the low moods and the paranoia and fatigue and all that stuff, I do live a good life.

Now that I think about it, if I did not care about how I live and how I relate, I would not have so many low moods nor would paranoia strike me so often - so perhaps these 'symptoms' are really signs of my commitment to living. Not just to being alive but to living fully. It doesn't feel like it at the time, but maybe, maybe...

because...: Mad, ill or disabled?