Mental Health Discrimination

Legislation in New Zealand such as The Human Rights Act 1993, section 21 and the Employment Rights Act 1997 are in place to prohibit the discrimination on the grounds of mental illness in areas such as housing, training, education and employment. The incidence of stigma and discrimination in these areas is however still continuing to be an issue for those with a mental illness. It has become apparent through large amounts of research that most incidences of stigma and discrimination are usually reported through research studies and surveys (Peterson & Barnes & Duncan 2008; Newell & Gournay, 2000). El-Badri & Mellsop (2007) suggest that most research on stigma tends to center on attitudes and beliefs of the public and how they view those with a mental illness. Much less emphasis on research has involved the personal experience, self-stigma and quality of life of the person with the illness and how they fit within the community. Badri & Mellsop's (2007) study Stigma and quality of life as experienced by

The lack of treatment for mental illnesses — due partly from the stigma with which it is associated with — comes with a number of public issues: economically,

Diversity means to value and respect the differences and individuality of people. This means to embrace the differences between people and to treat a person’s race, culture, religious beliefs, age, sexual orientation, gender, physical and mental characteristics etc. with respect.

One of the biggest contributors for poor healthcare is the stigma against mental health. This stigma allows healthcare providers to view those with a mental illness as having low relevance, thus creating disinclination towards providing adequate resources and/or care. This negative stance, based on misinformation and prejudice creates those that have a mental illness to lose their self confidence. Because of this loss, people with mental illness decide not to contribute to their health or livelihood. In the past fifty years, many advances have been made in mental healthcare. However, with the attached stigma, many people choose to not seek out treatment.

Individuals with a mental health illness tend to experience discrimination due to misinformation, assumptions and stereotyping. Many people in our society are not educated on the subject of mental illnesses and often have misconceptions about the conditions and what affects these pre conceived ideas can have on the individual suffering from the

Stigma and discrimination is negative aspect experienced by mentally ill patients it is a barrier that prevents them from living a normal life therefore it is vital to safe guard and advocate for them to maintain a normal life (Equality Act,

Society has stereotyped views about ill health or mental health needs and how it affects people. Many people believe that people with mental ill health are violent and dangerous, when they are the ones that are more at risk of being attacked or harming themselves than harming other people. Stigma and discrimination can also worsen someone’s mental health problems and delay their help and treatment. Stigma and discrimination can trap people in the cycle of illness.

Mental health prejudice is the discrimination of people with mental health issues. Metal health prejudice effects can be felt through the entire world. Government mandates like CMHA’s broad mandate work to promote Income Security and Productivity, Health Research and Training Affecting Women, Advocacy and Persons with Long-Term Mental Health Problems. The government in Canada spent an estimated $7.9 billion in 1998 to help people with mental health issues and. ($4.7 billion was spent on mental health care and $3.2 billion was spent on mental illness and early death prevention. According to the Report on Mental Illness in Canada, October 2002. EBIC 1998 (Health Canada 2002) in 1999, 3.8% of all admissions in general hospitals (1.5 million hospital days) were due to anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, major depression, etc.

Social exclusion and discrimination faced- As finding it's happen at every level like society, family as a disability and homeless. At

Based on multiple research studies done, it has been shown that discrimination does happen in the health care setting. Whether it be discrimination based on disability, socioeconomical status or race. Racial discrimination is loosely defined as beliefs, attitudes, institutional arrangements and acts that tend to denigrate individuals or groups because of their phenotypic characteristics or ethnic affiliation (Hausmann, Kwoh, Hannon & Ibrahim, 2013). Racial discrimination can happen at an interpersonal level or at an institutionalized level. Institutional discrimination are policies or practices in an organization that can negatively affect members of a group and interpersonal discrimination is ones acts or beliefs towards a group (Hausmann

Stigma has been said to be “a feeling of being negatively differentiated owing to a particular condition, group membership or state in life”(Arboleda-Florez & Stuart, 2012, p. 458). There are typically two types of mental illness stigma that are discussed. Public stigma, also known as societal stigma, is the stigma associated with the prejudicial attitudes the public holds towards those people who suffer from mental illness (Arboleda-Florez & Stuart, 2012; Corrigan, Markowitz, Watson, Rowan & Kubiak, 2003). Self-stigma, also known as internalized stigma, is the loss of self-esteem, withdrawal, and personal shame that some with mental illness will experience. Self-stigma is usually developed when those who suffer from mental illness associate the negative stereotypes the public holds with themselves (Chronister, Chou, & Lieo, 2013; Corrigan et al., 2003).

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.

First off, Doctors should not treat patients based on their status because some are too poor to afford insurance, and have a higher chance of dying due to poor healthcare. There is a legal code that talks about the “laws” so to speak, about treating patients based on how they are financially. According to The World Medical Association (WMA) the code says, ““The World Medical Association (WMA) International Code of Medical Ethics states that "(A) physician shall not allow his/her judgments to be influenced by personal profit or unfair discrimination.’” (Bringedal, Baroe, and Feiring 196). This is a code even states it is not right for a physician’s judgement to be influenced to discriminate their patients. For example, if there was a white doctor

There is a stigma in our country regarding mental health and its treatment. These stigma are divided between social stigma and perceived or self-stigma. Social stigma are those that society places negative feelings towards a certain group, which can lead to discrimination. Perceived or self-stigma are those internalized feelings of the mentally ill individual on how they feel society views them. Both types of stigma can lead to negative feelings of the mentally ill individual through feelings of shame, depression, hopelessness, and anxiety. Current policies on mental health are limited by federal legislation and may only address the aspect of public discrimination.

Individuals with serious mental illness are doubly affected by their disease; not only do they experience the often debilitating symptoms of their condition, but they must also endure mundane mental health stigmas and prejudices. Stigmatized attitudes are perceived to be one of the greatest impediments to living a complete and fulfilling life. Stigma has been defined as a combination of three related problems: ignorance, prejudice and discrimination (Rose, Thornicroft, Pinfold, & Kassam, 2007). Ignorance implies a lack of knowledge, prejudice entails negative attitudes, and discrimination involves exclusionary actions against people deemed to be different. Two forms of stigma are commonly distinguished in literature. Public stigma describes the attitudes of society towards people with mental illness, while self-stigma results from the internalization of prejudice by people who suffer from mental health conditions (Corrigan, Powell, & Rüsch, 2012). The World Health Organization announced that stigma was the most crucial obstacle to overcome for a community to functioning effectively and efficiently (Ontario Hospital Association, 2013).