We would support a bill to encourage donations to support services to people with serious mental illness, but opposed a check off that limits the support to fighting stigma. (By the way, we don't believe stigma exists).
According Skale's Rule:
The role of stigma in inhibiting care (if any) is inversely related to the severity of illness. Stigma may possibly inhibit some high functioning individuals from accessing care, but stigma is not why homeless psychotic people can't access care."Stigma" programs often achieve their objective by pretending the seriously ill don't exist, and thereby hurt efforts to improve care for the most seriously ill. Like in California, and elsewhere stigma money usually falls into the hands of groups that use it to oppose services for the seriously ill. The proponents of this bill would likely have used the funds to continue their efforts to close state hospitals and prevent use of Kendra's Law, two programs that help the most seriously ill.
Stigma campaigns never include homeless psychotic people living under lice-infected programs. Those focused on stigma believe the mere existence of people with serious mental illnesses causes stigma and therefore keep them hidden. Stigma campaigns do more harm than good because they are designed to trick the public into thinking serious mental illness doesn't exist.
If there is to be a check off, then we would suggest the money go to programs that reduce stigma by providing services to the most seriously ill. For example, the money go to preserve NYS Psychiatric Hospitals; provide funds to implement Kendra's Law; or for mental health courts. All those programs help people with serious mental illness and reduce stigma by reducing violence.
We have to note that the bill was proposed by one of the best advocates people with serious mental illness has ever had, NYS Assembly member Aileen Gunther. On this issue, we respectfully disagree with her. But we firmly believe her heart was in the right place in proposing this and sincerely thank her for all she has done to improve the lives of people with serious mental illness.
