Battling stigma
Stigma can be corrosive, especially around mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, etc. Those struggling with their mental health often experience a significant amount of discomfort from the stigma alone, not to mention from their actual illness.
There are a number of common-sense ways to reduce stigma around mental illness. For example, one way is to stop misusing terms, such as when flippantly saying, “I have OCD.”
When folks do that, they make light of serious issues and may unintentionally impede the progress someone is making as part of his therapy. Another strategy is to stop labeling others based on their illness. For instance, instead of using various mental illnesses as adjectives to describe or diagnose others or ourselves, we should be using these terms properly as nouns — when they are appropriate and as they are psychologically intended. People are more than their illness and are not defined by any illness that they may have.
Because mental illness is something that is not always seen, we as a community need to do a better job at seeking to understand others. Instead of being quick to judge, we should provide the benefit of the doubt and show humaneness and compassion with our words and actions. Remember, being supportive can be restorative.
Quiara Finch
Lewiston
Restore power, then breach
Rep. Mike Simpson has the cart before the horse when it comes to tearing out dams.
Electricity generation that now comes from dams should be built and on the grid before deciding to remove dams on the Snake River.
Marvin F. Dugger’s great commentary explained the fish issues. This letter involves future dystopian life with inadequate electricity for the Northwest.
Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported on the U.S. electric grid’s declining reliability and stated there were more than 180 serious blackouts in 2020 alone.
America should learn from Europe’s energy crisis brought on by the rapid closure of coal, gas and nuclear electrical generation plants. This lights-out problem is caused by the left’s goal of a 100% renewable future that has not arrived yet and will never happen.
Therefore, when Europe’s weather-dependent wind turbines and solar panels cannot produce enough power, they will beg Russia to keep Europe’s lights on.
Instead, Europe is now doing a sudden U-turn, postponing nuclear closures and ramping up coal generation.
Normal people understand that the American left will never reverse its obsession for fossil-free energy. If politicians are stupid enough to destroy hydroelectric dams, woke Democrats will never allow other options to generate needed electricity.
You have to remember the woke does not like us and are trying to destroy America.
If America is to continue secure, affordable, and reliable energy, policymakers must be intelligent and not eliminate essential hydro, gas and nuclear power capacities before alternatives are in place.
Jim Emmert
Kamiah
