CW: Disability justice, mention of celebrity suicide
I recently had a conversation with a social worker about ableism and mental health, especially inside of support organizations.
Just one day later the news broke about 'Breaking Bad' star RJ Mitt, who died by suicide at age 34. For anyone not aware, he lived with cerebral palsy.
Not long after that I saw a video by disability blogger Imani Barbarin, who talked about how his death has been framed as a discussion about men's mental health.
But there's something else. And it's important.
Barbarin (who lives with cerebral palsy) also talked about how hard it is to find mental health support as a disabled person, and how many times she's found herself forced to educate licensed professionals about disability as well as how it impacts mental health.
Which is exactly what I've experienced as someone with an invisible disability.
Ableism can happen even if the mental health professional works for an organization that claims to support and advocate for people with that very same disability.
This should never happen. But it does. Too often.
No one who's struggling against systemic oppression should be forced to do the educational work. Allies โ people in the dominant culture or closely adjacent โ need to step up.
(This is about more than disability justice btw.)
It's hard enough trying to survive a society that would prefer we didn't exist at all without running into harmful attitudes where we expect to find understanding and expertise.
Here's what Imani Barbarin said:
https://www.instagram.com/reels/Deh0STVgwev/
Notes:
โข I see this social worker, who's part of my family practice, about once a month because I cannot access adequate mental health support any other way.
We have lively conversations which have been far superior to the "authority" bullshit I've experienced in the publicly-funded "mental health" system where I live.
โข Wealth can't guarantee you'll find the right support.
โข I'm linking to Instagram. Click or don't. Your reasons are your own.
