Sunday, October 21, 2012

Sinead O'Connor & Mental Health

I love Sinead O'Connor...and when she blasted onto the music scene we were both the same age, I loved her music, her angst, her in your face attitude and opinions and I still do!  I just had to share this because I have never seen anything so beautifully written about how people with mental health issues are treated by those around them.  Sinead O'Connor suffers from depression and bi-polar so she especially can speak on the subject.


Sinead to Play Benefit Concert....
Sinead returns to live work with an acoustic gig to raise funds and awareness for Irish mental health charity Mad Pride. The show will take place in Cork at The Triskel Arts Centre on the 19th of October….
She said: “I’m delighted to be taking part in this event as sufferers of mental illness are in my opinion the most vulnerable people in our country and stigma around mental illness is crushing.
We live in a society where ‘crazy’ is a term of abuse. where if you have a mental illness, too often that fact will be used as something with which to abuse and dismiss you.
I don’t mind having a mental illness. But I do mind having it used as something abusive people can bash me with. And I deeply mind how daily that takes place.
I’m hoping by being involved in stigma breaking, not only will my life in ireland improve but that the lives of other sufferers may improve also.
We are people for whom self esteem can be difficult. And being lashed by stigma doesn’t help.
I like what mad pride are doing because we should be proud of ourselves and not allow other peoples lack of knowledge or understanding bring us down or Shame us.
Let’s put the fun back in dysfunctional.”

I also love Glenn Close...one of my favourite actors!