Labels and the Stigma That Goes With Them

Why do we always feel the need to label people? Labels involve names. After giving it some thought I believe that we simply cannot see the world as individuals or it would be too overwhelming. Categories make it easier.

Unfortunately, labels can also bring a stigma with it. Sometimes labels will end up shaping our identity and how we see ourselves. A kid with ADHD will probably never see themselves as anything else. It becomes who they are.

When I went on my LOA they sent me to a doctor who believed that Fibromyalgia was symptom of a psychiatric disorder. When I said I was fatigued, oversleeping, and having trouble getting out of bed he chalked it up to depression. The symptoms just reinforced his belief. So he believed I needed an emergency exam from a psychiatrist. I was angry since I knew I didn't have a mental disorder. Mind you by the end I was questioning it. So the report that work got was that I was depressed. My team leader questioned me and basically called me liar when I said it wasn't depression. She thought I was just in denial. They put me on Zoloft which was a bad idea... maybe because I wasn't depressed. As much as I tried to fight it I had the label of depression... I still have that label. And I am familiar with the stigma that is associated with a mental illness. The more I try and deny it the more I look like I am just denying that I have a mental illness. And once you have the label it's not easy to break free.

Right about now I want to say I told you so... to all the people that said I was depressed... that it was all in my head. So did I need the 2 months off? Did I need to see the psychiatrist? Did I need the medications? No... I needed a doctor to take the time and listen to what I had to say. I needed someone that didn't have some preconceived notion that I had a mental disorder. Someone asked me why I didn't tell the doctor the whole truth about my LOA... and the knife. For one, I didn't think it was any of his business since I made the choice not to use it. Secondly, I didn't want it to shape his opinion of me and change the course of treatment. Looks like I made the right choice. The fatigue and the lack of energy isn't caused by depression... it's the low platelet count. The fact I am sick is because of the low white blood cell count. In a nutshell my immune system is all but non existent. Hmm... yeah I guess that would lead to fatigue, among other things.

So the next time you want to label someone... or their behaviour... think about the stigma that the label might cause. Everyone is unique and what we think about someone reflects our beliefs about them and our perceptions. That doesn't make it truth.