What: True Stories That Stand Against Stigma
When: Tuesday (July 12), from 1-2 p.m.
Where: Second Home, 1250 California Street, Redding, CA 96001
It might have been the bright red coat someone was wearing. Or the unknown woman who pointed a camera in his direction.
Whatever might have caught Antonio Morgan’s eye, his mind could take it and turn it into a story that would plague and torment him. Morgan was diagnosed with a rare form of paranoid schizophrenia in 1995, and he has been hospitalized 13 times because of his mental illness. He has since learned to manage his illness, and now works as a mental health advocate for the Mental Health Association of San Francisco.
Morgan will discuss his story in an educational presentation about the stigma associated with mental illness from 1-2 p.m. Tuesday (July 12) at Second Home, 1250 California St., in Redding. Morgan’s talk is part of the monthly meeting of the Community Education Committee, which works to promote mental wellness, increase community awareness of mental health, and end the stigma surrounding mental illness and substance abuse.
Also attending will be Laura Kauth, program director for SOLVE (Sharing Our Lives: Voices and Experiences). SOLVE is San Francisco’s mental health speakers bureau, which trains peer educators to share their experiences in an effort to eliminate stigma. She’ll describe how the program was developed and implemented.
For local service organizations and agencies, many people who come in need of services may have mental health problems, and it’s important to understand providers’ role in ensuring stigma doesn’t prevent people from getting the help they need. More than one in five people have been diagnosed with a mental illness; they are our friends, neighbors and co-workers. But the myths and misperceptions many of us have about mental illness – that they’re likely to be violent or that they’ll never get better – can make people with mental health problems feel ashamed. They may become isolated, face housing and employment discrimination, and suffer far more than they should because of this stigma.
For more information about this presentation, contact Marc Dadigan at 225-5970 or mdadigan@co.shasta.ca.us. To learn more about SOLVE and see videos of other speakers, go to: mha-sf.org/programs/solve.cfm.
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