Mental illness challenges at least one in five adults but treatment works and recovery lasts. Still, no other common illness is burdened by such pervasive stigma. Stigma, in turn, perpetuates discrimination and discourages treatment. Fortunately, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits disparate treatment on the basis of mental illness. More important, Article XXI of the Connecticut Constitution unambiguously commands that, “No person shall be denied the equal protection of the law nor be subjected to segregation or discrimination in the exercise of his or her civil or political rights because of … mental disability.”
Unfortunately, stigma and discrimination with respect to mental illness remain entrenched in the netherworld of bar admission practices in Connecticut. As part of a largely unaccountable bar examining process, people recovered from mental illness, in treatment or even potentially seeking treatment face invasive questioning, invidious exposure and added hurdles not imposed with respect to any other form of illness.
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