People with mental-health issues deserve and merit help
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to your Jan. 7 story “Public invited to free roundtable talks on mental-health stigma.”
Many years ago, we were told to stop declaring rape/stigma; we had done enough harm. We stopped. Without a murmur of complaint, we stopped.
Somehow we have fallen into the trap of declaring another. It is time we stopped. Editorially, personally, individually, it is time we stopped.
A cautionary tale: Stigma and mental-health issues.
The day may come when we realize that eagerly promoting the above words undermines our interest in providing help and we will stop.
In the meantime, I would caution readers not to be influenced by editors who promote those words to print. Seek help: You are both deserving of that help and merit it.
Harold A. Maio
Fort Myers, Florida
Editor’s note: Harold A. Maio is a retired mental health editor.
