I’ve attached two articles from today’s New York Times.  The first concerns the impact (or lack thereof) of education campaigns on reducing the stigma associated with mental illness.  Don’t be put off by the first part of the article, which describes what sounds like an outrageous British “reality” show during which people with diagnosed bi-polar disorder “compete” with people with no diagnosed disorder….in the end, judges with no knowledge of the contestants’ diagnosis cannot tell the difference between those with a mental illness and those without, primarily because the folks with bi-polar disorder have well-managed symptoms.  The message of the article is that if people with mental illness receive proper therapy, the behaviors that create fear and misunderstanding will be diminished, and eventually, so will the stigma.  Ultimately, that is what HOP is seeking to do — ensure that those who need help, get it.
 
The second article relates more closely to our proposed panel discussion/community forum topic, about how the current economic downturn affects each of us in different ways, and that job loss does not only create problems for the jobless, but for the entire family, as well.  In this case, the family profiled has a son with cancer; the mother has lost her job and will soon not have health insurance coverage for her son’s treatment — both the husband and wife have chronic conditions requiring medication, as well.  A dire and frightening situation, experienced to varying degrees by many these days, I suspect.