Week 1- Empathy and Stigma

              This week in lab we had the opportunity to explore the concept of ‘stigma’. An activity we did to illustrate this concept was the activity titled “Making a spectacle of and for ourselves”. In this activity, all students in the class were given 10 minutes to create a pair of silly spectacles using colourful pipe cleaner. Following this, we were to don our glasses as the instructor called our name one at a time to stand up in front of class and answer a question. The idea of this activity was to provoke the feeling of being looked at differently. For me, this activity provoked feelings of anxiety, embarrassment, excitement, and foreboding. Of course, a 10 minute activity cannot hope to replicate a true feeling of stigma. As future occupational therapists, it is important to consider what it must be like for people who live with this feeling everyday.

               Stigma is defined as ‘a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person’. Karen Whalley Hammell defines it as a ‘form of social branding of those individuals who transgress the norms and values of society. The dominant, powerful social group determines which human differences are desirable or undesirable, thus stigmas reflect the value judgments of the dominant group’. One of the readings for this lab was written by Dr. Terry Krupa. In it, she wrote about the implicit stigma found within rehab professions themselves, specifically occupational therapy. I was surprised to read that stigma still occurs in our profession. However, as we unpacked it together as a class, I came to understand that being conscious of stigma is the first step to addressing it.

              How will this affect my future OT practice? For me, I believe that the first step is acknowledging stigma and exploring where is comes from and what has influenced any stigma I may hold. As Dr. Krupa pointed out, it can be so ingrained that often people aren’t even aware that they hold certain stigmas! I think by journaling and exploring my own personal values, I may be able to change what negative stereotypes I hold and positively affect the way that I interact with individuals. I also think that exposing myself to the different views of people who feel that they are stigmatized will help to enlighten my understanding. As we embark on psychoemotional determinants together, I look forward to learning about how people with mental health issues are affected by stigma, and what is being done to change it.

To explore what resources are out in the local community, and wider Canadian community, I took to the internet to see how we are working to change stigma. One project that I have had fundraising involvement with this year is The Jack Project, which seeks to change the way Canadians think about mental health. Started as the legacy of Jack Windeler, a first year Queen's student who died by committing suicide in 2010, aims to bring light to the mental health needs of young people in Canada. This is a yearly forum that brings young Canadians together to break stereotypes, educate them, and encourage them to talk about mental health. This video from the conference is a great preview of what was discussed. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgKBA_lq2lY)

Call BullSh#t     http://callbs.ca/#home

This website denounces the way society fails to support mental heath. According to the site, despite more than 1 in 5 youths needing mental health services, less than 25% actually receive them, suffering in silence due to shame, stigma, and lack of care. It is rallying to gain support for increasing the visibility of mental health awareness. A very engaging and empowering website!