Importance Of Stigma And Mental Illness

Self-pity and pessimistic attitudes remain a topic of discussion with a mentally ill patient, however the more valuable picture revolves around the stigma that the public holds towards those with a mental illness. Unrun Ozer, member of International Committee of National Journal Editors, acknowledges that, “Stigmatization is described as attributing someone in a way that would decrease the person’s reputation because the individual strays away from the general norms of the society” ( 225). Ozer clarifies that a stigma is an unfavorable viewpoint that society has on someone that is perceived as different. Those with a mental illness are susceptible to vulnerability because they are at a small disadvantage than the normal person. Negative connotations, such as adverse viewpoints and perplexing labels, affect the care and treatment process of those suffering because their compliance to treatment decreases. Society is too quick to judge and be ignorant if someone isn’t in perfect form, and Ozer reports, “ It has been reported that individuals with mental illnesses are seen by the society as dangerous, frightening, unstable, irresponsible, unpredictable, and having communication problems” (Ozer 225). Ozer declares that these labels are degrading to an individual with a mental illness, and cause feelings of introversion, decreased self-confidence, worthlessness, shame and despair. If we want happiness to be achievable for all, then criticizing individuals is a step in the wrong

While stigma may not necessarily be a cause of a person’s mental disorder, it can certainly contribute to the complication and perpetuation of their illness. The effect of stigma goes well beyond just the patient and provides a commentary on society’s overall level of intolerance of those who are considered different from the majority. By recognizing the level of stigma that exists, perhaps we can alter that behavior and gravitate towards a more productive attitude towards mental illness.

Mental health stigma is a pervasive problem in the United States and in the world. In fact, the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness can lead to a number of negative health outcomes for those who fall victim to it. For the purposes of this paper, the terms “mental health stigma” and “mental illness stigma” will be used interchangeably. Studies providing a more global view of the mental health stigma in the United States are few and far between, meaning that more research is necessary to expand knowledge surrounding the stigma. In addition, studies examining the effect of the mental health stigma in restricted demographics are also limited, indicating that more research is again indispensable in order to explore demographic differences

In the past, extensive research has been documented on the relationship between mental illness and stigma. Decades of research have also been done on stereotypes of men and women. However, studies done on mental illness and stigma rarely have an emphasis on gender differences, which hugely contributes to the way stigma is perceived (Chandra & Minkovitz, 2006, p. 19). Mental illness stigma is a belief that individuals with mental illnesses are different; individuals dealing with mental illness are commonly labeled as weird, attention seeking, crazy, incompetent, and other negatively biased connotations. The attitude of stigma towards mental illness leads to discrimination and discouragement and is a barrier to living a life of full potential.

Nearly 9 out of 10 people with mental health problems expressed that stigma and discrimination has had a negative impact on their lives. Stigma is a mark of shame that separates a person from others, when someone is characterized by their mental illness, they are viewed as part of an often negatively stereotyped group. For those who suffer from mental illness life is already challenging, so having to cope with prejudice and stigma from those around them only worsens their condition and their day to day life harder. Stigmatisation of mental illness is caused by false stereotypes and creates many problems such as self stigmatisation, employability issues, misrepresentation in the media and a

A stigma is a mark of disgrace based off of misconceptions and stereotyping. As a consequence of the stigma, it is more difficult for those with mental illness to find jobs, insurance, and housing; they are also isolated from society. Despite these negative effects that hold the mentally ill back, this stigma can be fought by identifying the source of the stigma and then eradicating the source.

In society, there is much stereotyping and stigma surrounding the issue of mental health. Stereotyping happens because humans take common characteristics and behaviours, and link them to groups in society known as social groups; because of the amount of stereotyping that exists in today’s society there is a great deal of stigma surrounding mental illness and the mentally ill. A common misconception about individuals suffering with mental illness is that they are all unintelligible and are a danger to other members of society, this opinion has been largely criticised by mental health professionals as it is viewed as narrow minded and potentially very misleading. Stereotyping mentally ill individuals causes them to lose a sense of identity as

People with mental illness are often stigmatized for their illness from both other individuals and themselves. Stigma is described as a dishonoring characteristic (Thoits, 2011). The stigma placed on the mentally ill can have a negative impact on their self-esteem and make the symptoms of their illness worse (Psychology 101, 2011). Individuals that have been branded as mentally ill often face discrimination, stereotyping, rejection, status loss, and lower power (Thoits, 2011). People who are involved in the mentally ill individual’s life may also experience stigma just by being associated with those individuals. Stigma relates to mental illness in a negative way. Mentally ill individuals are often stereotyped as being violent, bizarre, and

The stigma of mental health is one that has been around for many years and still persists in modern society. According to The Oxford Dictionary, stigma is defined as “A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person”. In regards to mental health, it means that people within the past and current times look upon someone with a mental illness as something is wrong with them. This stigma is also expressed in literature.

About 57.7 million Americans have a diagnosable mental illness (Duverge n.p.). According to Patrick Corrigan and Amy Watson, “Stigmas about mental illness seem to be widely endorsed by the general public in the Western World” (16). This means that a large number of the people who have a mental illness are affected by the stigma surrounding mental illness, possibly in multiple ways. While some say that stigma surrounding certain drugs meant to treat mental disorders could prevent people from taking them without a reason (Roleff and Egendorf 87), many people with a mental illness are negatively affected by the stigma. The stigma surrounding mental illness in society can worsen the lives of the mentally ill and lessen the number of people being

With that being said, anti-stigma programs have been developed to enhance the understandings of those labeled as mentally ill. The anti-stigma programs are aimed at both specific target groups and the general public (Henderson, 2013), to provide individuals with an opportunity to become knowledgeable and experienced with mental health (Corrigan, 2007a). Two messages that these programs address are for the public to stop reporting misrepresentations of mental illness, and for individuals to stop believing the negative views of mental illness (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). By addressing the concern of stigma, the programs also use the medical model as discussed in lecture on mental health (Savelli, 2016), to persuade the public that having a mental

A large problem in society is the stigmas currently being place on mental illness. In the last 25 years there have sadly been no signs of the end of stigmatization towards mental illness (Schomerus, G., et al, 2015, p. 21). It is questionable as to why we even have a stigma because approximately 26.4% of the American population has been diagnosed with a mental illness (Kenny & Bizumic, 2016, p. 178). However, the majority of people are not acknowledging these statistics, but instead are letting stereotypes form. Unfortunately, these judgements inevitably lead to people fearing and judging mental illness and the people who have been diagnosed with an illness (Kenny & Bizumic, 2016, p. 178). If the society begins to recognize the stigmas surrounding mental illness, there are interventions that can reduce the current stereotypes towards mental illness. Two interventions that seem to be most useful are Acceptance and Commitment therapy as well as social norms theory.

The stigma in mental health system is deep rooted and its origin goes back by centuries. The stigma is powerful that it has been codified in federal since last 50 years. But the realization that the stigma attached adversely affects mental health care system is still lacking. The discrimination against mental illness has invaded the systemic structure causing more worries to sufferers of mental illness and their families. While every individual and system is well aware of mental illness and the biggest constraint in its prevention, there is a huge gap between literature and real practice (Kelly et al, 2010). This essay is a reflection on two newspaper articles on schizophrenia to provide a brief account of personal observation, common misconceptions, scientific truth and mainstream issues that needs an immediate attention.

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.

There are many stigmas, or misconceptions and misperceptions in our society which need to be shattered. I believe that one of the worse possible effects of stigma is that it causes those affected by psychological disorders, or mental illness, to crawl more deeply into themselves because it provokes a sense of shame. Stigma thrusts those suffering with mental illness into a sense of isolation, social exclusion, and discrimination. “Stigma can lead to discrimination … It may be obvious or direct … Or it may be unintentional or subtle…” (Staff). Stigma is often as big as the illness itself and I confess to having been a perpetuator of this dreaded thing, although not consciously aware and without the intent of furthering the harm of someone.