Alab at Alon: isang nilalang, dalawang anyo

Hello! 

This zine contains fundamental information about bipolar disorder and mainly revolves around my personal narrative as a person with the disorder.

This is my attempt at helping myself and peers in alleviating stigma. 
Personally, I have experienced internal stigmatization, or self-stigma. 
Though it is called self-stigma, society plays a big part in its proliferation.
Self-stigma happens when a person becomes aware of negative public opinion, agrees to these opinions, applies it to themselves, and harms themselves through self-deprecating thoughts and actions. 

I made this zine as a form of disclosure, which is the first step in alleviating self-stigma according to Patrick Corrigan PsyD, and Deepa Rao PhD in their research "On The Self-Stigma of Mental Illness: Stages, Disclosure, and Strategies for Change" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3610943/)

Though disclosure may come with consequences such as opening myself to public scrutiny and more judgment, I am more than willing to let people know my struggles.
I hope this piece of my heart speaks for itself and my fellow persons with bipolar disorder and other mental health issues. 

I encourage you to share our stories, as open discussion will help in cultivating an environment rich with knowledge, empathy, and understanding.

Enjoy!
Keep safe~

Cheers,
Jin