Fighting Everyday Discrimination

We were delighted to be able to spend some time talking to Hannah about her experiences of stigma. Hannah is based in Essex, she writes poetry, loves nature and is starting to develop her DIY skills with a new drill so she can make her home her own by putting up new blinds and shelves.    

Hannah has a passion for advocating for people who are discriminated against due to the stigma of substance use and mental health. As well as writing her own book on her experiences titled ‘Labelled and Left’ she had advised Healthwatch Essex and plans to be a life coach and peer mentor using her own life experiences to help others. 

As we start talking it becomes clear that sadly being labelled, disregarded and discriminated against is an everyday experience for Hannah. Everyday interactions like using shops, chemists and health services become needlessly stressful and difficult due to stigma. If you don’t have to experience that everyday battle to get through the day it can hard to understand how draining that must be.  But Hannah is determined to share her experiences to increase awareness of stigma and offer her insight into what needs to change to create more respectful communities.    

Hannah starts with her key message “We’re all human beings at the end of day” she says “we are all labelled and people look down on me, people look at me and call me a junkie but I’ve done really well in my recovery, I’m on subutex but still get called a smackhead.” 

Hannah shares her experience of a recent trip to the pharmacist to pick up her medication.   

“I went to Asda and was waiting at the pharmacy for my script, I was waiting for 45 minutes so I asked how much longer it would take and I was told “addicts like you can wait!” I’m trying to better myself and still have people looking down on me” 

“I’m not using heroin anymore but I’m always labelled, I’m always called mad” She says.  

Hannah is supported by a Phoenix Futures service called Hosts. So Tracy, Hannah’s support worker,   went to Asda with Hannah the next time, unfortunately the staff member at the chemist was equally unpleasant to Tracy. Tracy spoke to the Pharmacist about the way Hannah had been talked to and even then the response was defensive. It seems stigma is so deep rooted that in some situations that Hannah’s message “we’re all human beings at the end of the day” is lost. 

The impact of being publicly labelled and abused in this way was huge. Hannah left in tears and said it could have led to relapse. At a different chemists a new manager started who demanded to search Hannah’s bag and accused her of stealing. Hannah says “I’d never steal but they labelled me.” 

The good news is that she recently moved to a new pharmacy and there was a huge improvement.    

“They say my name, they say hello Hannah, it sounds ridiculous but when people say your name it makes you feel like a human being”  

“They notice me and notice if !‘m not looking well” 

Tracy believes that the power dynamic needs to change in situations like this. It can take knowledge of your rights and confidence to changes that dynamic. She advises people who are treated badly to vote with your feet and ask for your script to me moved. When treated badly Hannah even researched how much funding the pharmacy received for supporting her and reminded them that they were being funded to provide a service “I didn’t do it in a snarky way” she says “but there should be mutual respect”  

Unfortunately, Hannah has also had negative experiences of mental health services. As she tells me when she saw a psychiatrist at the local secondary mental health service.   

“They make you tell your story, share all your trauma and then tell you the session is over and throw you out crying, they showed me out through the back door.  I just wanted to die. I’ve been with a psychiatrist for one hour of my life and now I’m labelled for life and I’m judge for the rest of my life. It made me want to fight and prove them wrong”   

Hannah shares more and more examples of discrimination. She tells me about a time she went to the Post Office   

“I can’t get a bank account, so I get benefits in cash from Post Office. I had all the right information, but they said I needed ID. The women said we don’t do that here.”  

Hannah didn’t lose her temper, but she checked and documents and checked that they didn’t say she needed ID. “The staff were really unpleasant and refused to serve me”  

Hannah had to return to the Post Office with Tracy to resolve the issue which they did eventually. As Tracy says “They were just trying to make Hannah’s life difficult”   

At the local Waitrose store Hannah has been told “people like you aren’t allowed in here”. Tracy has had to complain to the manager as Hannah felt picked on.   

Tracy explains there have been other incidents at Waitrose “Last Friday another resident went to use the cash machine, which is in the front of the building, not inside the store. As she approached the cash machine a Security Guard shouted at her and told her to get out.” 

Hannah says “we just want to live a normal life, we just want to go to the supermarket like anyone else. It’s worse now because when I was on drugs I wouldn’t feel it, but now I do” 

Discrimination like this is common place and can have a serious impact on people’s mental health as Hannah explains “I’ve got paranoid schizophrenia. One time I went into Waitrose and the security followed me around the store, every time I turned around they looked away. I already have voices in my head following me around, I went into total turmoil.  I said to them I’d rather you walk with me if you’re worried about me stealing, than follow me.  They just laughed and looked at me like I was a joke, I could have ended up hurting myself, I just wanted them to listen to me” 

Hannah explains that she has a sunflower lanyard. This is a scheme that helps people to voluntarily share that they have a disability or condition that may not be immediately apparent – and that people may need a helping hand, understanding, or more time in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces. This is a really positive scheme, but sadly in this case it didn’t make any difference 

Hannah also talked to me about her experiences of homelessness  

“Sitting on the street is not nice, I’ve been spat on, had drinks thrown at me, you feel cold and scared. We are all human beings so I like to speak up on behalf of everyone who is labelled. I’ve been homeless and had nothing, I was jealous of a dog because he got food and love, I sat on the bench and I was so jealous of the dog, it’s sad”  

Tracey and Hannah talk about an exercise they did recently where they both wrote words to describe Hannah on post-it notes.  Hannah described herself as “Crackhead”, “Addict” and “Junkie”. Tracey described Hannah as “Beautiful” and “Kind”. 

Hannah said “I was more ashamed of the nice ones, I’m used to the others, I’m suspicious if people say something nice, it’s not normal, but I threw away mine and kept the nice ones” 

At the Anti-Stigma Network we love to recommend books, podcasts and activities that promote wellbeing. So, I asked Hannah if she had any recommendations for our members. 

Hannah recommends: 

‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty’ by Florence Given – “she’s wicked, girl power!”  

“Self-help books, I’ve had bad experiences with professionals, so I learn myself how to control my mind” 

“Don’t watch the news and stay off social media”   

Affirmations

“True change comes from within, leave the outside as it is”   

Activities  

“Meditation and Yoga and the countryside because mother nature is the only mother I need” 

I thank Hannah for her time. On reflection it’s sad that every day seems to be a made to be a challenge for her and I’m left thinking I’m lucky that most interactions I have, most days, are polite and reasonable. It seems there is one rule for some and another for others and perhaps I’m lucky that I live with a courtesy privilege that others don’t have. It shouldn’t be this way because as Hannah says “we’re all human beings at the end of the day” .