'Mental Patient' Costumes - A Blessing In Disguise

     I am pretty sure if you have got your finger on the pulse you probably would have heard about the supermarket chains Asda and Tesco, and online retailer Amazon being caught in a uproar for selling Halloween costumes entitling 'Psycho Ward' outfit and 'Mental Patient' fancy dress costume. These costumes included ragged clothing, fake blood, a mask, and a fake meat cleaver or an orange boiler suit with a plastic jaw restraint as well as machete to "complete the look".
     After a storm of complaints and outrage from customers and people on social networking sites these companies subsequently withdrew these offensive outfits from sale, have made apologies and will be donating to the mental health charity Mind.
     Unfortunately there have been one-too-many troglodytes saying '...if you don't like the outfits then don't buy them....what's all the fuss about?' It's times like these I face-palm myself and try to keep myself calm over the frustration as to how someone could be so callous and ignorant, but if it still needs saying until I'm blue in face then I accept the challenge.

Sometimes I ask myself why I bother...
...but then I remember why.

     It is quite astounding, and worrying, to think that 'intelligent' (seriously considering whether this is the right word to use or not), successful people of these large companies would ever think it would be okay to do something like this - did they consider to sell outfits depicting cancer, diabetes or coronary heart disease as well? When were they born? 1847? The hard work that every single mental health charity, campaigner, activist, or volunteer does to try and break down the wall of stigma and then you have these buffoons pilling on more bricks and cement.
     It is things like this that re-enforce the unfair, incorrect negative stereotypes of mental health and mental illness - that we are blood-thirsty, violent, cannibalistic murderers. When actually people with mental health problems are far more likely to be a victim of violence. It is things like this that make people treat individuals with mental health problems as second-class citizens or as targets of abuse. Having a mental health problem in itself can be a struggle; without the additional layer of guilt or fear of social persecution or abuse making everything worse. There are thousands people with mental health problems who are not receiving the help and support they need - it is not just down to the lack of resources and funding available, but also fear of reaching out for help (from a GP, friend or family member) and receiving nothing in return except contempt, abuse and guilt. 
     Now when I title this blog post '...A Blessing In Disguise' I mean it in the sense that these companies idiotic actions have given a great opportunity for mental health charities, campaigners, activists, people with mental health problems and thousands of others to raise awareness and to help end mental health discrimination - to tell everyone that this kind of behaviour is not okay and that we should be treated with the same amount of care and respect as everybody else. Thousands upon thousands of people took to Twitter and Facebook to show everyone what a real #mentalpatient looks like. Do you know what they look like? Like you and me.
     If you would like to know how you can help end mental health discrimination check out Time To Change.

BMNM.