Breaking the Silence: the Stigma of Mental Illness

Publisher Marketing: Imagine being blamed for having cancer. It's unthinkable! But whilst physical illness usually evokes a positive, sympathetic response, people frequently react to mental illness in a dismissive, alienating, even scornful manner. No-one who is mentally ill should ever feel the need to apologise for it. But too often, fear and ignorance lead to a sufferer being marginalised and ostracised by friends, neighbours, family and work colleagues. Despite mental health disorders being so common - one in four people will suffer from mental illness at some point in their life - it continues to carry a social stigma. The consequent loss of jobs, friendships and marriages compounds emotional pain, adds to the sense of shame, isolation and desperation and makes recovery more difficult. Time To Change (to which all profits from this book will be donated) and other charities worldwide are campaigning vigorously to change public attitudes, helping to inform about mental health issues and making it more acceptable to speak about them. Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho, wrote: 'Each person knows the extent of their own suffering...' In this book fifteen courageous people of varying ages, nationalities and backgrounds tell us insightfully, openly and honestly in their own words about the distressing, stark reality of living with mental illness. And their experiences reveal the immensely damaging impact of others' reactions. By the time you have finished reading these heartfelt and powerfully-expressed stories you will be better able to understand what it's like to have mental health difficulties. Contributor Bio:  Fielding, Polly Polly Fielding is the author of several non-fiction books (in English) on a variety of subjects of which she has a great deal of personal experience. They include - The 5:2 Diet, Mental Health, Paris and Haemophilia. Many of her books are written in the present tense which gives them a striking immediacy. Over a span of thirty years she has had numerous articles published in national magazines and newspapers. She is also an artist, using both pastel and gouache. 'Poppymania' is evident in her vibrantly colourful pictures as is her passion for the beauty and warmth of summer scenes both in the UK and abroad. Polly has a unusual mixture of professional qualifications being a certified Voice Over Artist and Swedish Body Masseuse. And in a former life she was a teacher in the UK, Canada, Gibraltar and Iran. She had a brief spell as a nanny to two small children in Paris when she was twenty-three. It was during this six- months period that she fell in love with this magnificent city, its culture, cuisine and people. She is married(she met her husband in Gibraltar), has five children and currently divides her time between Lincoln, Paris and Venice. She speaks English, French and German. To find out more about Polly, her books, her art and her most recently published articles, please visit her website: www.pollyfielding.com