A New State Of Mind: Ending The Stigma Of Mental Illness

According to an article in the Scientific American, “About one in six adults living at just above the poverty line or lower has severe mental health problems.” (“Neglect”). Coupled with the fact that treatment is not often available, discrimination and judgement are some of the main reasons for this. Employers see them as unstable and/or dangerous, therefore ignore them as potential employees. Applicants will not be hired due to their condition, then they will not be able to afford the treatment that they need, causing their condition to worsen. Simply removing these stereotypes from society would easily fix the problem, but it would not be an easy task to accomplish. Everyone has different views and opinions. Seeing as there are people who do not even believe that mental illnesses are real, getting these stereotypes to simply vanish will take some time. The first step is to eliminate stereotypes in the workplace. Employers should know that the applicant has a mental illness, but that should not be used to determine whether or not they should be hired. This would slowly start the chain of events leading up to the end of the

People with mental illness struggle to fit into society. They may feel socially awkward, causing feelings of loneliness or isolation. Likewise, those with mental illness are more likely to be unemployed because of anxiety or fears. Without having a job or way to

Many people with mental illnesses try to hide their mental illness when applying for a job. Research from Mind released on May 16, 2011 found that one in five people who had disclosed their mental illness had been sacked or forced out of their jobs. This shows how most employers don’t want to hire people with mental illness. People with mental illnesses often intimidate employers because they often believe they could be a liability. But in reality although people have a mental illness there are quite a few jobs they are easily capable of doing and we should encourage their interest in working if they are capable of performing the job correctly. According to Psychology Today there are still attitudes within most societies that view symptoms of psychopathology as threatening and uncomfortable, and these attitudes frequently foster stigma and discrimination toward people with mental health problems. People's views on mental illness have been commonly portrayed through the mainstream media in an unpleasant way. This makes life more difficult for people with mental illnesses because this leads to discrimination by others. We should all erase the portrayal of people with mental illnesses, especially employers. If we are going to make opinions of people especially with mental illnesses then we should first do research on their condition.

Many people with serious mental illnesses are forced to live in overcrowded, and often substandard living environments, that place them at physical and emotional risk. The ongoing stigma surrounding mental illness means that many housing providers, funding sources, and neighborhood groups are reluctant to serve people with disabilities, despite legislation such as the Fair Housing Amendments Act. People with serious mental illnesses, with appropriate support, are often quite successful at working when employed. However, the unemployment rate among people with serious mental illnesses hovers at 90 percent. Though today’s economy has created significant opportunities for people with serious mental illnesses to gain better, higher paying jobs, the technology and the resources to provide them with necessary long-term support in those jobs are lagging far behind. People with serious mental illnesses require appropriate and timely mental health and primary health care

Firstly, adults with mental illnesses experience discrimination from employers which leads to very high unemployment rates for this marginalized group. ‘‘Sixty-one percent of working age adults with mental health disabilities are outside of the labour force, compared with only 20% of working-age

The hundreds of years of discriminatory mistreatment and neglect of proper treatment for the mentally ill have scarred the mentally ill. They were mistreated for hundred of years and so that mistreatment was carried over to present day. The sort of discriminatory mistreatment that the mentally ill are faced with is the sort that gives them the disadvantage. The kinds of disadvantages the mentally ill are faced with runs along the lines of economic, social, and participation from health services.

We should work to help our clients understand that having a mental illness doesn’t translate to them being less then or irrelevant. This population should still be given the opportunity to be hired for a job if they are able to complete the tasks assigned to them. They should be able to participate in community activities without being excluded. They should not be discriminated against or put down.

According to Auerbach and Richardson (2005) “The participants saw work as an antidote, a way to organize their lives and to feel better. For all of them, the consequences of not working were negative and destructive, including chaos, depression, and boredom” (Auerbach & Richardson, 2005, p. 268). Their research gave evidence that people with severe mental illness enjoy working. The benefits are shown, for example, they feel good when they are working. Working gives structure to their lives and builds up their self-esteem. The participants liked the experience of living a normal lifestyle. They all enjoyed their working experience. They felt great as being independent and handling responsibilities of their own. Overall, this shows us the positive effects of supported employment program for people with mental

People with serious mental health illnesses were considered to be the vulnerable and at risk for having positive outcomes through transitions from secondary education to higher education and adulthood (Haber, Karbur, Deschenes & Clark, 2013). Mental illness was noted to be the cause of more disabilities than any other disability category in the United States (Odds and Ends, 2010).

It is estimated that 43.5 million Americans, adults 18 or older, live with mental illness. This number represents 18.1% of all U.S. adults (National Institute of Mental Health, 2014). Stigma toward those who are seen as different have existed for as long as civilization itself, with the stigma for mental illness being one of the most prominent and long lasting that society has had to face throughout its ages (Arboleda-Florez & Stuart, 2012). Increased understanding and awareness for those individuals suffering from mental illness is necessary for us to overcome the impacts stigma has on our society.

Mental health issues are very common in society and therefore an understanding of mental illness is an important component in preparing for any career. The most recent statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health in 2012 estimated that 43.7 million adults from above the age of 18 in the U.S. have had some kind of mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder in the past year. This was equal to18.6 percent of all U.S. adults. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013). Although there are many careers where an understanding of mental health would be important, few professions outside of those directly working in mental health careers need to be better prepared for an encounter with someone with mental health issues

One in every seventeen people in America suffers from a mental disorder. These disorders inhibit the afflicted person from functioning properly and coping normally with daily life. Many afflicted with a psychological disorder do not exhibit obvious symptoms, as medical advancements have made it possible for these disorders to be suppressed or even nonexistent. Today, however, harsh stigmas exist that unfairly categorize those with a mental illness as violent, unfriendly, and abnormal. The media and federal government are culprits in fabricating the unrealistic depictions of mental disability that define the portrayal of those who are mentally or psychologically disadvantaged.

Mental health is not a disability. It should never stop a person from growing and doing what he/she wants, and we must break the stigma that the people diagnosed with mental illnesses are not capable of doing what the others can do, specifically, being able to work. This is what the series entitled “The Good Doctor” is all about, with its first episode revolving around the issue regarding the people with mental illnesses are initially treated when it comes to the workplaces. Aside from giving us a brief background about the protagonist in the series, the first episode shows to us the realities of these individuals perform in the workplace, their capabilities of doing so, and most importantly, how they are treated.

Mental health—and the stigma that comes along with it—is a very important issue, one of global importance. Shah and Beinecke explain that 450 to 500 million people suffer from mental illnesses (15). Just considering the amount of people who suffer from mental illness is enough to prove that this is a global issue. Despite the large amounts of people who are affected by mental illness, only one third of countries have some sort of program to help (15). This shows the lack of concern for those who suffer from mental illness. Stereotypes affect many people, and those with mental illness are no exception. Everyone has their own preconceived perspectives and notions of mental health, and many of them are uninformed and unjustified. It is up to us to start changing our viewpoints on mental health.

“I want to be able to talk to someone in a pub and say ‘I have been mentally ill’ and for them to say ‘That’s interesting, what did you experience?’”, said a survivor from the UK in 1997 (Sayce 18). Almost twenty years later and this man 's wish still has not come true. People may ask why, and the answer is because of the stigma that comes along with having a mental illness. Mental illness is something not often talked about because of the fear of being judged. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in every four Americans has a mental illness, and only about 40% of them seek professional help (Hamid). People are being put into mental institutions instead of getting the help that they need to get better, because even people in the medical field are not understanding about this situation because they do not understand how it feels. The stigma and stereotypes towards mental illnesses are overwhelming, therefore people should be made aware of their impact and take steps to reduce stigma and stereotypes.