Psychiatric disorders and the stigmas associated with them
A discussion of psychiatric (mental) disorders and the stigmas often attached to them.
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Transcript
[Music in]
NEIL LAMB: For years we've looked at psychiatric disorders as being abnormal and being a discreet break between normal behavior and this disorder. Whether we're talking about bipolar or major depression or anxiety or schizophrenia, these all have been looked at as abnormal. And we're now, as we begin to understand more about personality and the genetics of personality, we see this as an entire continuum. It's a really marvelous interplay between what we've inherited from our parents and, then, how the world around us shapes our response.
SCOTT MICHAEL: Unfortunately, there's a big stigma that goes along with mental illness. You get shunned, people don't know how to treat you. I mean, it's--it would be a lot--it seemed like it'd be a lot easier if I had some sort of infection as opposed to mental illness. And people, you know, they--they don't--it's not treated the same way as any other disease, unfortunately.
NEIL LAMB: If I can get people to understand that we all carry some of these--not only many of these genetic variance--but that we all find ourselves in different places on these personality scales, then, hopefully, it begins to take some of the stigma of having a psychiatric disorder off the table. And we see each other simply as lying at different points along each of these personality scales, each of which brings their strength along with their weakness.
[Music out]
NEIL LAMB: For years we've looked at psychiatric disorders as being abnormal and being a discreet break between normal behavior and this disorder. Whether we're talking about bipolar or major depression or anxiety or schizophrenia, these all have been looked at as abnormal. And we're now, as we begin to understand more about personality and the genetics of personality, we see this as an entire continuum. It's a really marvelous interplay between what we've inherited from our parents and, then, how the world around us shapes our response.
SCOTT MICHAEL: Unfortunately, there's a big stigma that goes along with mental illness. You get shunned, people don't know how to treat you. I mean, it's--it would be a lot--it seemed like it'd be a lot easier if I had some sort of infection as opposed to mental illness. And people, you know, they--they don't--it's not treated the same way as any other disease, unfortunately.
NEIL LAMB: If I can get people to understand that we all carry some of these--not only many of these genetic variance--but that we all find ourselves in different places on these personality scales, then, hopefully, it begins to take some of the stigma of having a psychiatric disorder off the table. And we see each other simply as lying at different points along each of these personality scales, each of which brings their strength along with their weakness.
[Music out]