1994: I was asked if mental illness was contagious.
By ROBBIE DEE
It was not even a year after my diagnosis. I didn't feel like an individual coping with a mental health situation. I felt labelled. The title of my diagnosis was not sitting well with me. I thought sharing it with others would somehow make me feel more comfortable with it.
The year was 1994. I was at a small house party. I wasn't feeling overly well but went anyways. An acquaintance of mine was making small talk with me and asked how I was? In that moment I blurted out my new diagnosis and expected him to be cool and supportive. He was not. He actually asked me if 'it' was contagious? He wasn't joking. He was being serious. I of course said yes it was and poked him periodically throughout the night.
It's now 25 years later. Stigma and ignorance have definitely mellowed a lot. Another positive is more and more people are being treated as individuals and are not just being labelled and lumped into mental health categories. Every individual is unique. Just because someone's uncle might have the same diagnosis as someone else does not mean they demonstrate the exact same symptoms or behaviors.
Thanks for reading. :)
You Matter.
-Robbie
