Report of Workshop 11

Shame – is this how it feels to be mentally unwell in my society and culture? How does having a mental illness label make you feel?

Facilitator: Kay Sheldon, England

We were a small group but nevertheless we did some good work, I think. One thing to say is that the workshop participants were all European and all women, so perhaps we didn't have as diverse a discussion as we could have.

The workshop was run in an interactive style with the workshop leader acting as a facilitator. The main points that arose from our discussions were:·

• Shame is often something that other people make you feel. Sometimes feelings of shame are caused by other people's pity, other times the cause is from being made to feel that you have done something wrong or that you are inadequate or weak in some way.
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• Shame can also originate within ourselves through the belief that we are letting other people down or we at fault in some way. Blame and guilt are very much interlinked with feelings of shame.
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• It is not just the user/survivor who experiences shame but also their family. Parents, for example, naturally want to feel proud of their children but are often not able to feel this of children who have been given a psychiatric label. This in turn can increase the guilt and shame felt by the user/survivor.
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• The reluctance to talk about mental health issues within society adds to the experience of isolation and ostracism felt by many users & survivors and their families.
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• The nature of mental health services themselves can create stigma and increase feelings of shame. Hospitals and psychiatric units are often isolated and shrouded in secrecy. Many have gates or locked doors which adds to the stigma and fear from the wider population.
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• Being given a psychiatric diagnosis or label can seem like a life sentence. Also, some labels seem to be more shameful than others, such as paranoid schizophrenia or personality disorder.
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• The term 'user' can make people feel ashamed as it is a term associated with people who use hard/illegal drugs.
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• Although some users & survivors quite like mental illness being compared to a physical illness, this does not seem to be helpful in reducing the stigma associated with mental heath problems.
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• Shame can also be experienced due to indirect reasons, for example, being poor in a materialistic society. Many users & survivors are unemployed and are not viewed as valuable members of society.
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• We did not, of course, believe that we should be ashamed or be made to feel ashamed. There are many people, including some famous people, who have achieved great things because of their mental health crises and not just in spite of them.
• We should encourage all users and survivors to be proud and strong. To fight the bad, negative feelings about ourselves and each other. We should all be proud of who we are, as individuals and as a group. Having a mental health crisis should be seen ultimately as a positive experience and part of life's rich tapestry.