Second Thoughts

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a room with a dozen or so people. I was at a table with three women. It was the last day of a 4 day long work-related training and we were on lunch break. We were all feeling comfortable with each other and at some point, the conversation turned to the son of one of the women. She shared some of the struggles he was having and explained that a lot of it stemmed from his depression. As I listened I found myself wanting to share that I have bipolar, but I was holding back; I was worried about what they might think.

Before long I realized I was playing into the stigma of mental illness. So, I shared that I have bipolar disorder. At first there was a bit of a silence as they processed what I just shared. I felt like I was on a mini-trial for a few seconds. These people had known me for about 4 days, heard my professional background, seen me make presentations, interacted with me, and knew what I was capable of. Accepting that I have bipolar flew in the face of the stigma associated with it. By all stereotyped accounts, I should have been incapable of all the things I had been doing that week.

After a moment or two there were a few questions to confirm what I just told them, and then the conversation went on. The woman who was speaking about her son opened up and talked more. In fact, the whole table had a more open and sharing attitude. It was great. I shared a little about my mental illness and, as a result, there was a better dialogue about depression. The conversation even turned to other mental health issues.

I know I didn’t start a world changing movement that is going to eradicate the stigma and prejudices associated with mental health, but I know I impacted those three women in a positive way.