Melody's Story Pt 1 (of 2): Iranian-American Muslim Author & Attorney Busts Bipolar Stigma & Islamophobia
An Iranian-American Muslim, born in 1979, the year of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Melody Moezzi's life reads like a novel. She describes the displacement of her family–how the 1980 Iranian Hostage Crisis forced her family to leave the United States but the Iran-Iraq War also meant they could not stay in Iran. In this interview, Melody Moezzi, a 32-year old award-winning author and attorney with Bipolar I, describes her worst experience with anti-bipolar stigma. She also talks about Islamophobia and myths people believe about Muslims. Her ability to laugh in the face of pain is intriguing; her success despite stigma is uplifting. Interested in learning more about Moezzi? Then, check out her website, www.melodymoezzi.com, or look at her book, War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims, published in 2007.
To finish Melody's Story, click here for Part 2! 
Wanna hear the rest of the Minority Mental Health series?
Food for Thought/Suggestions for Comments:
- Have you ever experienced mental health stigma like Melody did during her hospitalization?
- Has someone ever doubted your abilities or accomplishments because of a mental illness?
- Do you know someone who might be encouraged by hearing Melody's story?
--Jessica Lynn Gimeno
Ouh, I can say, like Melody, that the worst mental health stigma comes from... physicians themselves !!
I remember that when I saw a doctor from my local health services, he said that my psychiatrist made a diagnosis of ADHD to make me become a drug addict *ouch*
I replied to him that Ritalin works on me, so if he is not pleased by my psychiatrist's solution, he can purpose one !!
He also stated me that we don't give that kind of drug on the long term like candies. I replied harshly that if I were psychotic, he would have given antipsychotics on the long term without questioning himself about side effects, whereas AP's SE are far worse than Ritalin ones !
At the end, after I told him what I do in my life, he declared scornful (it was a real pity to hear him : doing medicine and being stupid like that !!) : "We can do a lot with an illness like that !". I couldn't prevent myself to reply : "It's all for this that I am cared for my ADHD !".
I couldn't be more joyful seeing him like snow melting down as water !!
People who doubt about people's capacity, whatever the disability is (include mental health) are not worthy people, and shall not be given any credit.
So, yeah, I say that it's a double reason to slap them in face with facts that they are wrong and that they have nothing in life : they are healthy but have nothing to be proud of since the more they have and the more they want, we have a mental health condition but at the end, we have something we can be proud of in our life because we made everything to build it !!
Who knows if tomorrow, they won't be trapped into a mental health issue and being treated as they treat us now ? (this is what I wrote in a letter for a physician, who stated : "If I were your father, I would have done again all your education, and without your incapable mother". My reply was that no one can ever say that you will be healthy for all your life, so let imagine how will you react if another physician treats you like you treated me the time I had to see you because you are trapped in a mental illness !)
No one can say that they'll be healthy for all their life with absolute certitude. Let say that they'll feel destroyed inside themselves. May they must go through this path, and may this path give them a piece of wisdom they don't absolutely have when they say all these horrible sentences.
They believe to know everything because they have a Ph.D, but no one can claim that he knows everything even with the highest diploma.
It's difficult to answer at the moment, but they are only human persons who have to live the human condition.
Mental health or not, they have no right to abuse (because these are abuses), no matter what your family can say (in my family, they were all saying that they know what they do, it's their job). No.
Stand up, never give up hope. Even if you're considered as "the crazy one who cannot tell the truth", stand up.
At the end, those persons fell miserably, and it's very difficult to go back up for them.
It's a long road, you don't have results in 5 minutes. But efforts, consistence and patience will be paid back.
--
25 yo, ADHD, sensory issues, Maths LD and prelingual Single Sided Deafness.
Preparing myself to go back to university to study Law (hope to become a lawyer).
Interests : languages (I speak French as mother tongue, Italian, English and Modern Greek), medicine, law, computer.