Campaign "They Are Us"
Re-defining Psychic Difference

and "How To Touch A Hot Stove," a New Documentary Feature Film

• Have you ever gotten so enraged that you lost or feared losing control of yourself? 
• Have you ever felt so despondent that life didn't seem worth living?
• Have you ever made a mistake for which you can't forgive yourself?
• Have you ever hated a member of your family? 
• Have you ever lost touch with aspects of reality?

The fear of "them," and the "them" that lies within us, forms the Great Divide. Yet, in truth, we all exist on a continuum. Or so we believed until we were presented with the idea that there is indeed a difference, that the difference is to be respected, and that it is not until that difference is recognized that the stigma can really be diminished. Now, as we aim to re-define psychic difference, we question whether we must begin to bridge that divide or call attention to it in the effort to achieve our goals. One thing of which we are certain: We must initiate dialogue whether we re-define psychic difference or work toward bridging the divide.

The primary objective of this campaign has been to facilitate the development of a greater capacity within each of us to see the world through eyes other than our own. We aim to describe "thinking style differences" and “feeling style differences” in ways that de-emphasize pathology and demonstrate the need for developing greater empathic imagination for those who think, feel, communicate, and relate in ways that others fear simply because they don't understand. If a friend tells you he has diabetes, you know enough not to feel insulted if he refuses a fresh piece of your home-baked birthday cake. If a friend tells you she has asthma you know enough not to feel hurt if she's too afraid to help you clean your apartment before the company arrives. But if a person tells you s/he has schizophrenia and may need to leave early, you may not invite that person to the party at all. That's not acceptable. At the same time, however, it is not acceptable to some to try to hide their illness and pretend it isn't there.

This project aims to initiate a movement similar to other social insurrections. Words like "psycho" and "nut-job" need to be taken off the headlines and out of derogatory usage, as were "nigger" and "faggot" of past generations. Even the notion of “mental illness” is offensive to some and also fundamentally misleading in that it perpetuates the Cartesian legacy of a mind-body schism that neuroscience has now shown to be false. The idea of de-stigmatizing itself - which only furthers, however ironically, the stigma we are seeking to obliterate - needs to be re-thought. We need to create on college campuses "Focus Groups" that address the idea of a psychic continuum versus that of psychic difference. We need to confront media who exhibit the pain of others to sell their products, who develop reality shows designed to exhibit psychopathology, humiliate, and reject people in the name of entertainment. We need to educate about the nature, origin, and meaning of different styles of thinking until people become less fearful of those who don't look them in the eye, who talk to themselves, who take or need medication, or who respond in ways that seem too literal, too abstract, too emotional, or otherwise idiosyncratic.

Our approach is multifaceted

The project entails the publication in mainstream print media, as well as the presentation at professional meetings, of articles and papers defining the need for de-mystifying differences in the ways people think, feel, and relate. It entails outlining the ways in which we believe this can be achieved. Many people do not get the help they need simply because of the /shame/ associated with being identified as “mentally ill.” In truth, there is great overlap in the symptoms of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression; there is little understanding by the public of the bio-psycho-social etiology of these disorders and of the variations in their evolution; and the chances for recovery are significantly enhanced by real acceptance on all levels by family and society. The project thus also entails holding - and filming with the objective of screening on public and cable television and the web - a series of forums where young people, some having been diagnosed with mental disorders/difficulties, will dialogue with others about the integration into society of those who think and behave in ways that do not conform to the notion of “normal” in the Western world. We will highlight the difficulties of integration and improve the empathy and communication, particularly among young people, that will result in change. In a sense, what we are after is a kind of emotional literacy that will allow one student in a university dorm, for example, to request that a friend remind them to take their meds, should there be any, as easily as one might say “Let’s go watch a game.” At the same time, though, what we are after is achieving the respect for difference that those with psychological difficulties so clearly merit.

In print, motion picture, and on the web, we will engage not only professionals in the fields of mental health and neuroscience, but those who have suffered from the “we/them” syndrome as well as those who feel it helpful to be considered "them" as opposed to "we." Some have names well-known because of their careers on the stage, screen, and elsewhere. Some have a personal connection with the myths surrounding psychic difficulties. Others are simply be supporters of our movement. Research for improved treatment is essential, but eliminating the stigma is a significant step, as Glenn Close, a mental health advocate and winner of the 2009 “Inspire Award” recently informed AARP. As her interviewer concluded, “It will lead to better funding and better care. Most important, it will help ease the loneliness her family members and others feel.”

It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child, a village that makes a child feel safe and accepted. Our 21st century "villages" are not safe. The goal of this project is to find ways to make them safer.

Take a look at the /DSM IV/, the most recent version of the /Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders/, and see if you don't fit one, some, or many of those diagnostic criteria. If you do, welcome to the world of "psychopathology."

– Lois Oppenheim, Ph.D.
– Alice Maher, M.D.