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Page 3
the fact they have that diagnosis. Theoretically revealing they had schizophrenia would benefit them as
people extend greater compassion for their suffering, but my friends believe instead that they will be treated
with prejudice as a second class citizen.
And they probably will be to some extent. No one in their right mind would mention they have schizophrenia on a job application. Few would mention it on a first date. Family members may not tell relatives, or friends, shrouding in mystery just what is wrong with the individual, again increasing the stigma of a very destructive disease that demands extra attention and compassion. People even avoid seeing a psychiatrist at a mental health clinic preferring their family doctor in a regular office. But it is up to the sufferer to change the way people treat them. It is the obligation of everyone with the illness to stand up for their rights in public for themselves and for the people with schizophrenia who are treated as second class citizens.
The copyright of the article Reflections on the Stigma of Schizophrenia - Page 3 in Schizophrenia is owned by . Permission to republish Reflections on the Stigma of Schizophrenia - Page 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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