Kay Redfield Jamison Quotes

We know that mental illness is not something that happens to other people. It touches us all. Why then is mental illness met with so much misunderstanding and fear?

I want to break down some of the stigma associated with mental illness.

I gave myself the nickname 'Bipolar Rock N' Roller' way back in the 1990s, when - as much as we don't talk about mental health now - back then it was almost nonexistent. And if it was broached, it was done in a very pejorative way.

I would never post something making fun of depression or mental health, or picking at people.

I'd love for mental illness to be seen in the way that other horrible illnesses are. When people get cancer, very few parents will say, 'Oh I feel so bad for giving you so much unhealthy food over the years.'

... I want the world to know that people like me who have returned from the half-world of mental oblivion are not forever contaminated. We have been sick.

I want to destigmatize the words mental illness.

Diagnoses exist to help get people services they need - but there's no such thing as mental illness. We're all mentally ill.

When public figures remain silent about depression, there is a cost to the rest of society. Silence contributes to the misperception that successful people do not get depressed, and it keeps the public from seeing that treatment allows many individuals to return to competitive professional lives.

In order that people who suffer from depression seek treatment without a second thought, the stigmas must further fall until we reach a point in time when that person with leukemia and that person with depression both receive the same level of sympathy and the same level of rigorous treatment. Both people deserve it.

People accuse me of glamorizing mental illness. Looking back sometimes, that's true. But I don't feel guilty.

Mental illness is the last frontier. The gay thing is part of everyday life now on a show like 'Modern Family,' but mental illness is still full of stigma. Maybe it is time for that to change.

Mental health needs a great deal of attention. It's the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with.

I attribute the black tones in my films to Stephen King, Tim Burton, Joe Hill and Richard Matheson. However, most of my writing is influenced by mental health. I'm incredibly passionate about shedding light on the stigmas associated with mental illnesses.

Getting to have an opportunity to tell a story that is about mental illness and how it affects one's self and one's community was really something that really meant a lot to me.

Mental health is seen as a massive drag to have to write about - worthy, dull. Something you should 'have' to read / write about.

In an ideal world, it would not take a film star to get the media focused on mental illness.

The only reason I've shared my story is to take that tiny baby step of breaking down the stigma attached to depression.

We're becoming so much better at destigmatizing all sorts of things, including mental illness in 'Silver Linings.'

I want to remove the taboo from mental illness.

Abraham Lincoln suffered from depression and yet was a great president. Don’t you think that should help with the stigma of mental illness? We should tell everyone about that.

When I announced my focus on mental health as first lady of Georgia in 1971, none but five mental health advocates in the state wanted to be involved with the issue.

I'm not really interested in promoting 'Olive' as a series about depression or mental illness.

Sometimes actresses are just insane.

Mental illness doesn't need to be hidden or glorified. It should be normalized to where people feel comfortable sharing with their families and friends and know they're not alone. By opening up about my struggle, I'm hoping I can help someone who feels like they don't know what to do or when they can't accept their situation.