National Alliance on Mental Illness
page printed from http://www.nami.org/
(800) 950-NAMI; info@nami.org
©2013
Mental Illness Awareness Week
MIAW is October 4-10th. Help promote public education and elimination of stigma. NAMI offers MIAW tools for grassroots action. It's not too late to write a letter to the editor or spread the word to family, friends and colleagues.
MIAW Broadcasts
During MIAW, many PBS television stations will broadcast Minds on the Edge: Facing Mental Illness. Check the program's Web site for local schedules. Help spread the word! NAMI hopes to use this provocative, informative program to support advocacy for reform of the mental heath care system.
Fred Friendly Seminars, Inc., which produced Minds has issued a challenge to people who register as friends on the program's Facebook page. For whoever becomes the 1,000th person to register, they will donate $250 to the non-profit mental health organization of the person's choice.
Extremely Foolish?
New Monic Books is an educational publishing company. Its paperback Vocabulary Cartoons II (2007 edition) is helpful for SAT preparation, as well as people with learning disabilities. However, one StigmaBuster reports that on page 41, the sample sentence provided for the word "asinine" is "My sister gave up working in a mental hospital because she could no longer deal with ASININE behavior."
Asinine means "extremely foolish." It's not an appropriate word to apply to people who are ill. We don't believe the company intended to offend, but please politely let them know the impact the sample sentence may have in shaping attitudes of students and reinforcing stigma.
- Please remove the sample sentence in the book
- You probably didn't mean to offend, but please don't trivialize any medical illness.
- Please don't stereotype. Don't mock the behavior of people who are sick through no fault of their own.
Contact:
New Monic Books
P.O. Box 511314
Punta Gorda, FL 33951
1-800-741-1295
Out of the Inbox
Because of the large number of StigmaBuster messages received, they cannot all be answered individually; however, we appreciate every e-mail and do review every stigma report and prioritize them for action.
We also appreciate receiving copies of responses. They are important in helping to coordinate strategy and pursue genuine dialogue. You are our eyes and ears! Your help makes a difference!
Please send reports of stigma to Stella March.