ObscureMiss
26 Nov 2013
UK, Ireland / Mentally ill people in British society [55]
Sometimes I feel discriminated against, despite the fact that my problems are the more socially acceptable kind. Living with the kind of stigma that is attached to mental illness, to any degree, is a really mean battle to fight. It is especially depressing for people with long-standing kinds of problems that are competent enough to function normally such as aspbergers, personality disorders, etc.
Do you know that I have had a job where they wouldn't schedule me on certain days because they thought I seemed a little "unstable" and couldn't handle the stress? That's the kind of thing I'm talking about which leads to discrimination. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the job or my performance. My work performance was as good as anyone else's, they just didn't like my demeanor/personality and the fact that I am a woman only further perpetrated the discrimination. They wanted to let me go because they didn't like me, but they couldn't because that would have been illegal.
And did you know I've come across some people who flat out told me that I should not work in health care, because I suffer occasional panic attacks. I can understand that logic for certain positions, but to tell someone they SHOULDN'T work in a field is just highly offensive.
Sometimes I feel discriminated against, despite the fact that my problems are the more socially acceptable kind. Living with the kind of stigma that is attached to mental illness, to any degree, is a really mean battle to fight. It is especially depressing for people with long-standing kinds of problems that are competent enough to function normally such as aspbergers, personality disorders, etc.
Do you know that I have had a job where they wouldn't schedule me on certain days because they thought I seemed a little "unstable" and couldn't handle the stress? That's the kind of thing I'm talking about which leads to discrimination. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the job or my performance. My work performance was as good as anyone else's, they just didn't like my demeanor/personality and the fact that I am a woman only further perpetrated the discrimination. They wanted to let me go because they didn't like me, but they couldn't because that would have been illegal.
And did you know I've come across some people who flat out told me that I should not work in health care, because I suffer occasional panic attacks. I can understand that logic for certain positions, but to tell someone they SHOULDN'T work in a field is just highly offensive.