[SophiaG]

How does it typically manifest?

What can be done to decrease discrimination against people that suffer from depression?

Why do you think this discrimination exists?

Is the discrimination justified?

[owen2110]

I think some people view depressed people sad and weak.

To decrease discrimination there has to be a lot more awareness. People need to know there are fully funcitioning people with depression.

The only time I hear of depression in the news, is at the enfof a "bad" story, they through in "so and so, usually the murderer has been battling depression for years"

[lone_twin4]

This is something I frequently get on my high horse about and I'm so pleased to see this topic! I think there is still an alarming amount of ignorance about depression, what causes it and how it can be treated. What I would like to see (and I think it's kind of happening but very slowly) is a shift in attitude which means mental health is perceived similarly to physical health. Currently, I think, it is very hard for a lot of people to understand depression as an illness because the cause and symptoms of it are rarely easily visible. Also, the name is misleading. 'But everyone gets down sometimes!' is a common phrase which is belitting to many ill people.

Sorry about the wittering! I would like to see a separation of illness from personality. People who have suffered, for example, from cancer may allow it to form a part of their identity but no one would assume they must be a particular type of person. I would like people with depression to be just that - a person who is suffering an illness - rather than A Depressed Person. I hope that makes sense.

Furthermore I reckon that because so many find it hard to separate illness from personality, those with depression get discriminated against for being 'weak' or 'unreliable'. Once you have depression on your medical form it is much more difficult to find a job. It's also easy to tell someone to 'snap out of it'. It makes people very uncomfortable to see adults (or teenagers) being openly upset, especially in public places. I think that's maybe why people don't usually look twice at the person crying on a park bench.

Sorry again for the wittering on! Basically, to reduce discrimination I would like to see mental health being discussed with the same attitude as physical health, and the taboo on emotional expression being reduced.

[Middman]

You cant do anything about discrimination against us, Except find a way to somehow throw it back at them. Sorry, I have delt with it a long time and some of my deppresion comes out as anger, Im sick of those kinds of people. I try not to show weakness or what they consider it to be. Takes alot of practice, but to me its worth them not giving me crap....again sorry. but really it will never change,so somehow your going to have to change the way it affects you (making you feel worse) and the way you look at it. If you cant change the world,Change the way you see it..Good Luck.

[Rhiannonsmoon]

People will always fear or ridicule what cannot be seen

People will always misunderstand what they cannot feel or do not feel

Show people reasonably not irrationally or with desperation that you do not feel or act normal because of a chemical imbalance. If need be have a brain imaging scan done to show the differences in your brain chemical makeup and repsonses

Be generous with your compassion