The Stigma of Mental Health...

This is a small excerpt from my class PSY 3400 class at UVSC (the stigma web page):

MY STORY

On the 8th of April, 2001, I was getting ready for the long-ish drive up to Bountiful, Utah to see my cousins' family being seeled to their newest adopted girl, Taylor. In order to travel up to the temple with my little boy, Addison, sleeping the whole-way or most-of-the-way, I was planning to drive him around in the car.

I had pulled out onto 1600 N. in Orem (that going west will lead to the freeway) to travel back East to State Street, but as I pulled into the intersection of the cross-streets of 1600 N. and 800 W. (with a convenience store on the corner--at least in 2001-2007 that is still the case), a speeding car ran the red light that I was stopped at and smashed into my driver's side of the car.

No, Addison was fine and is a happy all-but not injured boy (except for a small scar on his left leg)! Should I call him with you standing here, just so you can hear him talk to you? ... For some reason that nobody can explain, although he left my house in a front-facing-car-seat, but the ambulence drivers and police say that they found him in a rear-facing car seat (same seat, just turned backwards). Because he was in a rear-facing-position, his life was saved or at least kept him from very serious injuries...

I was in a coma for almost 4 months and was kept at the hospital for an additional eight months, but then was able to come home to my wife and my barely-one-year-old son. Well, it's been several years since then, and I am more than proud to tell of the tale. Sure, it's left me a little "banged-up" and I can't straighten my fight arm completely and I never had to wear glasses before the accident (unless I would wear "fake" glass-lense-glasses).

Oh, yes... I guess you can consider me retarded. But you can only because of the fact that I AM slowed down. However, instant-message me (Windows Messenger: joshua_stott@hotmail.com) and you will find that I am definately NOT a mentally retarded man...

So, maybe you could re-evaluate your initial impression of me and what sort of problems you would like to label me with. After you're done re-elvaluating your thoughts, please, read through the rest of this site and see what other kinds of things there are to know about the STIGMA of MENTAL HEALTH...