Imagine There Was No Stigma to Mental Illness | Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman | TEDxCharlottesville

I remember when I was 15, I would go home and obsessively study because I was so terrified of failure I cried every day. I stopped talking to my friends and. I was called a "perfectionist" 16, I literally ran away in the middle of a piano recital and locked myself in a bathroom stall for an hour. "Stage fright" 17, I would run to the bathroom to throw up and cry in terror over class presentations. Again it was "stage fright" 18, after moving to college I began suffering regular panic attacks. "Just nerves" and "homesick" 19, and one of those panic attacks hit me in the middle of a biology lecture. And I had been so used to calling it other names I actually didn't believe my professor when she took me aside and asked me about my anxiety. And now I can't stop wondering: why didn't anyone tell me sooner?

The number of views of this Ted talk tells us how many people are suffering because of the stigma of mental health illness. People don't outgrow bad childhood experiences or traumas, and can't just "get over it", just like they can't outgrow A congenital heart defect or other serious medical illnesses.

not all heroes wear capes. a big salute to Dr. Lieberman and every other person who is out there raising awareness to end this stigma

Stigmatizing someone because of how they adapt to stress/trauma/environment, is the biggest contributor to "stigma" he is talking about, not just the label of mental illness.

Therapists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists are all heroes that are not given credit.

Every last one of these talks about mental illnesses bring me to tears.

Some people just think or see physically and mentally disabled people as less than human or subhuman. Just because of someone has a difficulty with something than you doesn't mean they should be berated or put down or even humiliated. It's better to give a helping hand or even give someone a little push forward in general if needed.

I came to watch this after seeing the move Joker. Though it had some violent scenes, it made me think a lot about how society doesn't value mentally ill people, how they're often left to fend for themselves. I hope that we can take away the stigma of mental illness and support one another, no matter if one has a mental illness or not. Thanks for this talk. That reading of the letter at the end was very nice to hear... We can all have compassion.

Thank you everyone who is destigmatizing mental illness. I hope, as a person with mental illness, I can soon become well enough to share my experiences with others and help people become more loving towards one another in general, more understanding, and more willing to forgive one another.

so inspired by this. I live and breathe with being a dual diagnosed person. proud to say substance free for 8 years and live with depression and anxiety and PTSD.

sitting here, having just finished my psychiatry rotations in medical school, and preparing for my psychiatry final tomorrow, i can't help but think of how judgmental i have been towards mental illness, and hearing how his empathy was the most important factor, i am without words. i can only pray that i am given some of his empathy and that i am able to help, and be a force of good, and not be so judgmental.

After suffering for years alone with mental illness , I’ve lost compassion and interest for family and friends with physical illness.

Thanks for keep advocating to stop mental illness stigma, you have no idea how much just some words can make to change the world.

This video really hit me hard. I feel so ashamed and embarrassed even though I try so hard not to. Thank you.

There is less and less stigma surrounding it everyday, it’s amazing. I work with many people who are super open about their mental health issues and everyone at work is accepting because he’s so willing to share and explain how it affects him. It’s allowed many others at work to feel the same comfort in sharing their problems. We’re all closer because of it

In the 1980s the Campaign against Psychiatric Oppression (CAPO) met for regular music and poetry meetings in the Troubadour Café, London, to express their response to how people had been treated. I find it absurd that instead of learning from people who are classified as mentally ill and thereby changing society to avoid making people ill, we continue to support a socio-economic system built on cooperative abuse and exploitation, resulting in the adverse consequences for millions of people.

It would be a great world.

I really appreciate people speaking out against the stigma of mental illness. As people we should come to understand that mental illnesses are as real and as serious as any physical illness. I really hope that there will be a time where people with mental illnesses have better care available and do not end up homeless and suffering even further. God bless this man!

As someone suffering from schizophrenia. I wish there was no stigma. Like the illness wasn't torture enough i know also am seen as not fit for well oiled society

What if there was no stigma to mental illness? Then my breakdown wouldn't have revealed the distinction between my associates and my freinds. Also Great talk doc.