minority rights

[adel_ezz]

Where i come from, my disease isn't understood neither atracting the sympathy of the society. We don't deserve to get the same rights like "normal" people. But this is accepted where 80% of the population don't even read or write, let alone to grasp medical facts. But in the west, people understand or at least try to understand the misery of others and in general accept this kind of disease.

Why i am saying this, because more often one encounters a question posted "should i tell my boss at work" and the answers come dispersed. I remember when my father had his Ph.D from Columbia in the sixties, there was a percentage by law of women, blacks, etc... in the academia so that not all of them are white men, one can find portoricans say etc... So it came to my mind why the bipolar society doesn't try to pass an amendment in parliament stating that in every working group there should exist a percentage of handicaps, etc...Alright one would say but there is a disability concensus where you get some peanuts to live upon and buy your meds. But this is a death sentence to someone who can work. Some BP can really perform well at work, yet he should be allowed to abstain from work if he doesn't feel well. Others may still argue that some jobs need total concentration or can't permit a mentally ill person. Well that depends on the work. I am afraid the no of psychic ill persons worldwide rose to 20% (accepted statistics) and in my country 30% "par excellence" because we have more stresses and misery. So why not try to issue a decree (has anyone thought of this) - instead of crying against the wall - stating that BP and others have the right to hold a 1% in the working personel of any enterprise or factory ... I am sure this will be the true revolution. AND even if people feel sympathetic for us - i doubt if this correct 100% - then this will return to us the rights that we deserve. We possess nothing less than them except that we worry more about ourselves, we are more sensitive, some of us if not all reason very well from what i read in this group. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We don't need sympathy. We NEED our rights to live dicently and announce our disease without any fears.
Try to address OBAMA i am serious
adel ezz  

[adel_ezz]

>>>I did a journal entry on what issues concerning people with disabilities I believe President Obama should address. You can comment there if you wish

I didn't get you, where is this. Can you provide a link. I would be glad to address him and urge him to do something in this regard. Egypt is now America biased so it may imitate what is there.
thanks
ezz

[monkeyc]

Same applies in Australia - the laws protect us against discrimination on health or disability grounds - my boss knows I am bipolar.

Im sure some people do get discriminated against and never say anything but its pretty hard to get away with it these days.

However I have a problem with the stats - you see the number rose by 20% globally and think that means more diagnoses - I see that rise and think that there are more mis diagnoses and you only have to look at the massive over prescription and over diagnosis of depression and ADHD to see how this has happened.

Everything in the world is being blamed for this - climate change, financial meltdown etc etc but the real root cause in the rise in psychiatric illness is the drug companies pushing drugs aggressively to doctors - Prozac has become the most common drug prescribed in some parts of the western world and Ritalin not far behind it and Xanax has to be up there as one of the top 10 over prescribed drugs.

What is also interesting is the spike in these figures is coming mainly in the USA (hey medicate the babies) and other developed countries as well as china of course where the standard of living is falling as industrialisation takes hold not evenly across the globe - depression is not a major problem in many third world countries but perhaps thats because they do not have psychiatrists and drug companies to tell them how sick they are?

[LeftCoastChick]

Canada is at the front of Mental Health/Disabled persons rights. Under the law, no private or public company is allowed to have predjudice against a PWD (person with disability).  Though still I know it happens in the hiring process, but pretty rare, as companies are checked at least yearly to see if the are minorities groups within their companies. It looks better to have some, though "eye rolling", I hate that some do it for the tax breaks or incentives given by the Gov't, but it's better now though.

The only last real discrimination is towards overweight people, I know I haven't been hired because of that and other folks I know have been told as well that "we don't fit the company profile".  I went to the Human Rights commission and was told, unless there are multiple complaints they can't do anything. Companies here will bend over backwards to accomodate a person who's "differently abled" , as long as they can do their jobs.

I know a couple of people at my work that are BP too, one refuses to take medication, and I call her manic panic girl, I just want to put duct tape on her mouth, she's so loud, it's annoying, and she is fully aware of her behaviour, but won't take meds, and our employers's hands are tied because she still squeaks through as a competent worker.  It bothers me, because she make's the other bp person and myself avoid her because she gives BP a "bad rep".  I'm not looking forward to going back to work, because I'm in a full PWD now. I will have people hovering over me like flies for the first week or so to make sure they follow the protocol completely. (geez sorry about complaining about that, but I need to vent).

[ILADVOCATE]

No that agency is for reporting mental health violations that are extreme. I'm not sure what the disability rights laws and protection are in Egypt. But I'll inquire. But that agency is used (note for anyone reading this, they investigate abuse worldwide, they are in no manner anti-treatment) for filing complaints about abuse. As for what your rights are regarding disclosure and the like I'd say a lot less than the U.S. but I'll see what I can find out.

[adel_ezz]

>>>I did inform you about Mental Disability Rights International in case you encounter any kind of extreme discrimination

to feel discriminated meaning i have to tell my superiors that i am BP, which i dare confess it first

[ILADVOCATE]

Good post and actually I did a journal entry on what issues concerning people with disabilities I believe President Obama should address. You can comment there if you wish. He has supported a fair amount of disability rights legislation. As for your country unfortunately there isn't an independent living center there yet although many countries have them worldwide. I did inform you about Mental Disability Rights International in case you encounter any kind of extreme discrimination. There really should be a worldwide version of the Americans with Disabilities Act but President Obama did have a campaign pledge to sign a United Nations treaty on the rights of people with disabilities so that's a big start.