What is honesty and how does it affect your mental health?

[quirkywords]

I want to discuss what honesty means to you and your health.

People say that they fake being well, or wear a mask so no one knows their pain.Is this being honest.

When we do not admit our flaws and our behaviours does this make it harder to have insight into our illness and harder to get better?

Do we need to be honest with ourselves and others in order to be well.?

Honesty can be a very subjective personal word. What one people feels is being honest another may feel is not.

For many years I was in denial about my illness so I would admit to myself I was ill, I was not honest.

So what does honesty mean to you? So lets start a conversation. All ideas welcome.

Everyone is welcome to comment, new posters, regular posters, I want everyone's ideas.

Quirky

[demonblaster]

Another thing I'd like to see and have considered having a go at is more out there what peoples issues are on TV and planned events in communities for different MI issues which could be screened on a big Tv. For more understanding they could have regular TV spots and being such a major issue globally majority of people have or know of someone with MH as well issues, eveything should be openly discussed for understanding but problem is of course the real life trolls they wouldn't be aware but they've got issues

Just thought furthur re talking above about starting groups, something I've been toying with here is it's awesome our MH support workers in this programme that unfortunately NDIS is killing off in some areas a f.nitely bbq its free and everyone loves it, very sad you can see peoples pain without words but we keep chat to a minimum on our sads and just muck around general chat so I thought on the off wk we could put a couple bucks in and talk about it in a group, I'll put it to them support wkly with those who understand.

This was factual if we don't have MI under control by 2020 it'll be globally the biggest problem we have.

Good news recently I read from WHO- World Health Organisation they ARE starting to learn more, there is hope and with places like here I believe that we can figure it out.

Good day all hoping ⚘

[quirkywords]

Hello everyone

DB ,

you raise many interesting points. Starting an MIgroup needs some professional support I feel as it is a lotto take on if some is struggling themselves. I know there are support groups in the cities and attachedto community centres

Thanks for giving everyone a lot tot hink abut.

Quirky

[smallwolf]

Quirky,

You said...

I have been wondering if we lived in a world where mental illness was accepted like any other illnessand there was no shame, or blame, or feeling it was not real etc, would it be easier to be honest as there would be bo reason to lie?

There would still be reasons to "lie". Being "accepted" as an illness does not translate to honesty or lies.

Some people won't tell others or friends they have a terminal disease in order to protect the other person. People will still have a bias or stereotype one way or the other towards those who they perceive as different. So you (plural) might lie to protect yourself also.

It would be good if people were not judgemental or have biases, but that is a different bridge to cross.

[quirkywords]

Hello all

Once again words that make me think thanks.

I hope if there was more acceptance there would be less discrimination and more reason to be honest.

People are ofte judgmental through ignorance so if they had enough information that they accepted mental illness a sjust another illness therefore the judgment and stigma would be reduced.

What are your thoughts everyone?

Quirky

[White_Rose]

On the face of it, when people learn about MI they will be more accepting. In practice I think it takes much more for the general population to accept an illness they have viewed with fear, distrust and anger since their birth. Our childhood beliefs and ways of thinking are so strong that many cannot break away from these culturally absorbed beliefs.

If some of these people are able to examine these beliefs and loosen their attachment we will see a general change move through the population although I think it will take many generations. It is so hard to reject our family beliefs, especially those that tap into generational beliefs.

And lets face it, many of the various MI do produce different behaviours to those the population finds understandable and acceptable. Combine that with ignorance and the practice of 'hiding' family members who are different and the whole thing becomes a mire of suspicion and rejection.

I agree that putting information into the public arena is a great start. Having well-known people admitting to depression is a huge leap forward. As far as I know no public figure has admitted they have any different MI. So depression has become respectable to some extent, but what about Bipolar, Schizophrenia, personality disorders, PTSD, the list is long. By the way, anyone reading this please know I have no intention of disrespect toward anyone and or any MI. We need to start somewhere and depression is the most common MI out there I understand.

Then there are the reasons for MI. How we want to find the cause. In the past it was because someone so affected was intrinsically bad, had a bad family, paying for the sins of the father, or any other reason on these lines. So we need education about causes and that is woefully lacking. Why do I have depression and you don't? Why am I constantly anxious yet everyone around goes about their daily life with no problems? And so it goes on.

The discrimination we see puts people against MI for fear that it is catching.

Knowledge of MI and the long journey to acceptance by everyone has really only just started, but girls and boys, it has started.

Mary

[quirkywords]

Mary, Thanks for your detailed and well considered post.

I was just about to list pages of well known people with bipolar, then I read you said in public life- so are your restricting that to political or commercial life or sports or academics.?

So Only regarding bipolar, overseas and in Australia the one I can think of are actors/ film stars like Stephen Fry. Spike Milligan. Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Dreyfus and Craig Hamilton an Australian sports writer who wrote about about his polar .

There well known people who are associated withBeyond bluein a few different fields.

So I agree if you restrict the meaning of public life to political and commercial life I would agree. Is that

I think famous people are great for getting a message across but I also find as a ordinary person it is helpful for me to talk about my experiences too.

Quirky.

[Elizabeth CP]

I think an issue with MI is personal experiences. For example if you know someone with a MI people can assume that that person's behaviour or experiences are typical of all those with that condition which colours your attitudes towards MI.

[smallwolf]

Yes, people might be judgemental through ignorance. Yet removal of ignorance does not necessarily make people non-judgemental. Rather, it takes compassion, whose synonyms include empathy, understanding, care, concern, mercy, mercifulness, and tolerance. Once you have understanding and tolerance then judgment and stigma would be reduced.

[quirkywords]

Small wolf.

once you have understanding and tolerance then judgment and stigma would be reduced- you were are very powerful. I think it comes back to what people think is uderstanding and tolerant. Even the most intolerant person may claim they are tolerant.

Thanks formaking us think

quirky

[smallwolf]

Should have known better. You bring up the paradox re tolerance. That is, a tolerant person, by definition, is only tolerant if they tolerate intolerance. If a person is intolerant to an intolerant person, then they too are intolerant.

Let me put it this way... two persons X and Y. Person Y has an MI. The traits of person X needs to include empathy, understanding and concern.We are talking about an individual having genuine concern for others. In an similar way "do unto others as you would have them do unto".

Person X says "hello" to person Y.

Person Y responds "hey :(" with a sad face.

In this scenario, honesty is more likely due to the traits of person X.

The real problem when it comes to honesty and MI is that MI is a very broad topic. And if you say that you suffer from an MI, that brings certain connotations into the other persons mind. As we all know, anxiety and depression can range from mild to extreme. But then you have GAD, PSTD, Bi Polar, and the list goes on. No one person experience is likely to be the same as the next person. But we all get lumped into the same box - possibly as a lunatic.

Looking at it from the other side. There is a person I know that if you said that you had X, Y, or Z, then would want to know all the details. What if you did not want to divulge your history to that person? Maybe, because, he might then go tell someone else? Or that some stuff you would be consider too painful to tell them, but they poke and prod? Better not to tell?

Maybe what you (pl.) are really looking for is acceptance, which the allows for honesty and can feeds back into acceptance?