Schizophrenia Social Identity

The documentary series True Life aired their fourteenth episode on season … “I have schizophrenia.” In this episode three young adults, Joshua, Ben, and Amber, are followed through their daily routines recording how this illness affect their lives and how they manage to handle their mental illness. Each one of them experiences this illness different and that influences their decisions on medical care and the way they interactions others and the outside world. Society often sees people that suffer from schizophrenia as weird and crazy. It is common for society to want to separate them out from the rest of society by putting them in mental hospitals.

Often times in society, mental illness takes on a negative stigma. Society does not fully understand mental illness therefore they do not understand those that are affected by mental illness. Schizophrenia is often called a psychotic disorder, which means that people with schizophrenia have periods when they lose touch with reality and exhibit various kinds of psychotic symptoms.

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.

While the treatment methodology for mental illness has improved over the last few decades, the negative stigma surrounding those who seek care is still a major roadblock. (Corrigan, 2004) To better understand the term stigma, the definition must first be examined. According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary Stigma is defined as “a set of negative often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something; a mark of shame or discredit.” (Stigma, 2015). These views are often

Within the past two decades there’s been a revival in efforts to reduce stigmatization attached to mental illnesses. It was concluded that if mental illnesses were perceived better as ‘real’ diseases by the public that stigma would go down greatly. Reports proposed the idea that better scientific understanding of mental illnesses by the general public could greatly reduce stigma. Stigma is intensely rooted in social and cultural norms it’s patterns devalue and dehumanize groups of individuals within society (in this case mentally ill people). Stigma constructs barriers for individuals, barriers that limit a person’s abilities to have equal opportunities for employment, safe housing, health care and social relationships.Efforts to reduce stigma in recent years have

Throughout history people who have a mental health illness are not accepted in society. The attitudes of people in society, for example the workplace, is an important measure of the success of that society. Segregating people with mental illnesses from society, by putting someone in a institute, contributed to the attitude that an individual with mental illness are not capable of participating or contributing in society. These negative stereotypes are often portrayed in media, and influence the stigma of mental health illness being dangerous. This controversial concept of dangerousness states that individuals with a mental illness are more dangerous than those without a mental illness. Various forms of discrimination and exclusion in society is still present today. If society begins to understand mental illness, then they will judge a lot less. Success in that society will come when society accepts other people who are different

For starters, schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that can be devastating to the person and their family. Some symptoms of the illness includes: hearing voices, hallucinations, delusions of others in their head, and erratic behavior. These symptoms can be a big problem for the person, but sadly many people misjudge the illness or the people with it, leading the one with it to be abused by people, drugs, alcohol, and even themselves. Although, it seems to be human behavior to judge those who are different. Racial discrimination, those with illnesses, what people look like, these are just a few of the examples of how humans judge one another. After conducting research it is clear that some serious

It is believed that the majority American public hold the beliefs that the mentally ill are “unpredictable, irrational, dangerous, bizarre, incompetent, and unkempt”, and these stereotypes have only strengthened from the 1950s to the present. (Thoits, 2011) Despite educational campaigns, there is still a strong desire among the public to keep a social distance from the mentally ill in an attempt to avoid awkward social interactions. Studies have shown that there’s a direct correlation between discrimination and low self-esteem issues among mental patients. Low self-esteem is also linked to negative health effects. Not all patients who experienced social rejection report a low self-worth. It is stated that patients who experienced social rejection already demonstrated low self-worth and self-esteem issues. Some studies even find that stigmatized patients have a very high self-esteem. (Thoits, 2011) A study done by National Alliance for the Mentally Ill consumers, Wahl (1999) expressed that eighteen percent of the sample took the stigma as a form of empowerment. Another study done by Lysaker (2007) showed that patients with a high insight on their stigma were associated with lower depression, lower quality of life, and lower self-esteem. It was also found that these associations are stronger for patients with a high self-stigma than for those with a low self-stigma. Low

In 1968 the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) updated the definition of schizophrenia to include hostility, aggressiveness, and lack of acceptance of oneself. The next social, or cultural influence is that of stigma against mental illness in our daily lives. These attitudes play on decisions made in our lives that affect the larger world. In a recent poll released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) finds misconceptions to be prominent by American society. “Slightly more than 70 percent of those surveyed would be afraid for their own safety around a person who has not received treatment for schizophrenia, and 21 percent would be afraid for their own safety around a person who had been treated for the disorder, according to the results” (American Psychiatric Association, 2011).

A large number of the population consists of people who have a mentally disabled. Mental illnesses are refered to as conditions that affect a person's thinking and emotions. These conditions may affect one's ability to function property while relating to others on a daily basis. Different individuals deal with different circumstances. Schizophrenia is refered to as a severe mental disorder that affects the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they are apaet of their own reality. Schizophrenia is unlike any other mental disorders. Schizophrenia's symptoms tend to be very disabling. Schizophrenia is a long term mental disorder; however, it can be controlled. Schizophrenia normally eliminates the connection

This issue is relevant because mental illness and self identity are starting to become a popular topic in our society. People are starting to realize that even though it may be a difficult subject to speak and learn about, it is important and should be addressed in our society. This issue is important because it helps people embrace who they are and learn about the issues instead of hating on themselves for being different and not knowing the real facts about the issue. If we do not learn how to treat mental illness and accept ourselves, we will never move forward in society and learn how to help others and ourselves with these topics. By learning more about these topics we can help our society grow, by discovering new ways to help people with these problems. We could decrease major issues in our society like mass shootings, and teen suicide. With this topic we can make our society more aware and inclusive of those with these issues.

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).

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.

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).