Lived Experience Forum

[TideisTurning]

On Tuesday 27th of February, join us with the StigmaWatch team for a discussion on stigma within the media and its impacts. We will be exploring the importance of challenging stigma, how our peers can play a pivotal role in challenging stigma in the media and how you could get involved. 

The event start times across Australia are below:

WA: 2:30pm 
NT: 4:00pm

SA: 5:00pm 

QLD: 4:30pm

NSW, ACT, VIC & TAS: 5:30pm 

Want to receive a reminder on the night? Hit the 'Support' button below and we will tag you 30 minutes before the event starts. 

New to the forums or want to get involved in this discussion? Check out the How To Guide for Topic Tuesdays.

Hope to see you there in the chat on the night!

[amber22]

Hey everyone!   

The discussion will be kicking off in 10-15 minutes on this thread! To come along please refresh this page at 5:30pm and join the conversation.  

In this discussion we will be talking about:   

• What stigma is, the impacts it could have and how we might be able to take care of ourselves around this  
• The StigmaWatch program & challenging stigma  
• How you could get involved to help effect change & challenge stigma 

We can’t wait to see you there at 5:30pm!   

Tagging those that have interacted with the post/ or that are online right now and might like to join the discussion: @Miss-wish @Appleblossom @Mara_S @jh8 @Didier @1978 @MayaBird07 @cherryblossom8 @chibam @Shaz51 

[TideisTurning]

We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the various lands across Australia we are all joining this discussion from. We pay deep respect to the Elders of those Countries, past and present, and we further extend that respect to any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people with us tonight, reading along, or reading back. Tonight we are joined by our special guest @Madeleine13, who I will now invite to introduce themself 😊  

We also want to hear from our community what brings you to the discussion tonight and anything you may be particularly hoping to get out of the discussion (I.e.  if there is a question you have), and/ or, if you would like, we also encourage you to share a self care plan for after we wrap up the discussion this evening. @Miss-wish @Appleblossom @Mara_S @jh8 @Didier @1978 @MayaBird07 @cherryblossom8 @chibam @Shaz51 @Bill16 @Birdofparadise8 @Bow @ENKELI @EODtotheMaxxxx @Flowerlove22 @Jazex @KirSa_EnigmA @Lost_Partner @Oaktree @TAB @Zara5 @creative_writer  

[Madeleine13]

Hello, I’m Maddi The StigmaWatch Program Lead! Thank you for having me this evening.

SANE’s StigmaWatch program was established in 1997 to promote responsible reporting of mental ill health and suicide in the Australian media. It is the first and oldest program of its kind, we are very proud of this!  

We monitor and respond to reports of inaccurate or inappropriate stigmatising media portrayal of mental ill health and suicide. 

StigmaWatch is funded by Mindframe, an Everymind program through the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program.

Looking forward to talking to you about the program and all things stigma reduction!

[chibam]

@TideisTurning  @amber22  Just FYI, there seems to be something wrong with the site's notifications system, as I didn't get notified of either of your tags from your past couple of posts.

[amber22]

Hey! @chibam 

Thanks for letting us know 🙂

Glad you've made it here tonight

[TideisTurning]

Time to start things off with our first question for @Madeleine13: What is stigma?  

& for the community: How does stigma affect you? @chibam

[Madeleine13]

Great question! There are many forms of stigma in society, some are based on negative attitudes or beliefs, others are due to a lack of understanding or misinformation.

In the case of SANE and StigmaWatch, stigma refers to the negative prejudices, attitudes and behaviours experienced by people with mental ill health. 

Despite advances in awareness and understanding, stigmatising attitudes are still prevalent. 

Mental health stigma hurts everyone. It causes people living with mental health conditions to feel shame about themselves, reducing the likelihood of seeking help and impacting recovery and quality of life. In communities, it can limit resources and fuel prejudice. In the media, it leads to sensationalism, dehumanisation, and a lack of diverse voices. 

[chibam]

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@TideisTurning wrote:

& for the community: How does stigma affect you? @chibam

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No simple answer to that one, @TideisTurning . But I guess that the most noteworthy effect is that it makes it difficult or impossible to communicate with others, and hence forge a path forward to a better future.

Suicide is such a taboo subject, people just tend to shut down, or lash out in outrage whenever it's mentioned.

Last time I told people that I want to die, it was barely acknowledged at the time; and then five minutes later they were talking casually to me about everyday stuff, as if I'd never said anything at all about it. They just don't want to acknowledge that I'd rather be dead; so how can I ever hope to get help to get a worthwhile life?

(BTW @TideisTurning  @amber22 , I got notifications of your last two tags. 😊 Problem seems to be really intermittant. 🤔)

[TideisTurning]

@RoseGeranium @espressologic would love to hear your thoughts on how stigma affects you if you'd like to share 😊