The “Ableism” Behind Mental Health Professionals’ Perceptions of Support

This paper presents the personal narrative of the author, an individual who has experienced personal and clinical recovery from mental health difficulties. Diagnosed with a mental disorder (NEUROTIC; ICD-10) during my university years, I endured cognitive dysfunction, panic disorder, derangement of ego, suicidal ideation, and depression. Despite these challenges, I have actively engaged in social skills training, supervised virtual reality content, led self-help groups, and published papers on my experiences. I will discuss my own experiences as an expert-by-experience and describe the tendencies of professional ableism consciousness that I encountered during my journey of recovery. Through the lens of my recovery journey, I describe the difference between professionals with a strong ableism mindset and those with a weak ableism mindset. To mitigate ableism, mental health professionals must confront their own biases, as seen in training analyses. They also require an enhanced understanding of recovery and a shift toward recovery orientation. My story underscores the importance of a cautious and humble approach that does not evaluate human superiority or inferiority in the context of ableism. I hope that the readers of this paper will be inspired to think about professional ableism and move in the direction of shaping public opinion toward a decrease in ableism.