Stigma Of Mental Health Issues

The effects of self-stigma can lead to a lack of self esteem, lack of confidence, isolation and the increased likelihood of avoiding professional help for their illness. This then has an over all affect on quality of life and where one sees themselves fitting within society (Barney, Griffiths, Jorm & Christensen, 2005; Griffiths & Christensen, 2004; Newell & Gournay, 2000).

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.

Stigma surrounds mental illness even in contemporary society. Research has aimed to reduce this. World Health Organisation (WHO; 2012) have stated that such stigma is a “hidden human rights emergency”.

Corrigan, P. J., Morris, S. B., Michaels, P. W., Rafacz, J. D., & Rüsch, N. (october 01, 2012). Challenging the Public Stigma of Mental Illness: A Meta-Analysis of Outcome Studies. Psychiatric Services, 63(10), 963-973. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.201100529

scored lower on reported post-deployment social support than others. Also, those who utilized treatment did not report lower stigma levels. However, concerns about discrimination were significantly higher in participants who received psychotherapy and medication than in both other groups. The other groups being psychotherapy alone, medication alone, or no treatment. These concerns about discrimination include items in a questionnaire such as “I believe my employer will discriminate against me because I am receiving mental health care”. This fear of discrimination is another form of a stigma. Employers shouldn’t discriminate against those receiving mental health care, instead they should positively affirm them utilizing resources to address

Rates of mental illness are rising among Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. This social problem has had significant consequences, such as spikes in homelessness, unemployment and suicides in this population. Many argue there are too many barriers to mental health treatment in a society that stigmatizes mental illness and undervalues mental health care. Research supports this assertion, particularly within the Veteran population (Greene-Shortridge, Britt, & Castro, 2007). System justification theory offers an explanation for why society stigmatizes mental illness in spite of the devastating consequences of treatment underutilization.

The aforementioned treatments of mental illness influence both public and self-stigma of mental illness today. David Vogel, Nathaniel Wade, and Shawn Haake, from Iowa State University, define public stigma as “the perception held by a group or society that an individual is socially unacceptable and often leads to negative reactions toward them. The public stigma associated with seeking mental health services, therefore, is the perception that a person who seeks psychological treatment is undesirable or socially unacceptable” (325). Psychologist Marty Manosevitz attributes the stigma of mental illness to the immoral ways that the mentally ill were once treated. He states, “The moment a mark of something different was found in person they were shoved into institutions and kept from the outside world. There was no understanding that mental illness could be cured, it was considered permanent.”

Sub-Lieutenant Knai, along with other social workers would like to see members dealing with mental health issues earlier, when recovery can be less of a hardship than if they wait 20 years. One way this is done is by shifting the response to mental health issues from a reactive to proactive posture. To achieve this task, social workers are working with various civilian and military agencies on

Self-stigma is the idea that an individual does not feel like they are socially acceptable. This negative view a person may have can prohibit them from seeking treatment (Maier, Gentile, Vogel, & Kaplan, 2014). Depictions of medical professionals and people with mental illness in mass media can be internalized, furthering self-stigma in reality. Studies have shown that people with mental illness, those who seek therapy, and the professionals shown in movies, correctly corresponds to real-life perceptions (Maier, Gentile, Vogel, & Kaplan, 2014). This is another way to show how powerful images in the media can affect the

This article was written by Patrick Corrigan, an author and advocate for people with a mental illness and Amy Watson a professor with interest in mental illness stigma and the treatment. In this article, both Corrigan and Watson on a psychological level, integrate research specific to the stigma of mental illness with a general research on stereotypes and prejudice to provide a brief overview on the issue. Throughout the article they explain public stigma, strategies for changing public stigma and self-stigma. This article is useful because it helped me to better understand the impact in a different way. After reading this article a decided to put a section about self-stigma in my argument because it was not something I thought about writing

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).

Stigma and other major problems can block access for participants in mental health-care services; when access is possible, attrition from treatment is another major issue (Olfson, Mojtabai, Sampson, Hwang, Druss, Wang & Kessler, 2009). Theories by Erving Goffman, Edward Jones and colleagues and the attribution theory, can each explain the ways in which stigma arises and is perpetuated in relation to the mental health population. On the whole, it can be seen that stigma is likely to discourage many individuals from seeking professional help for their condition, due to social stigma regarding mental illness in general. The first theoretical perspective to be considered is that of Goffman, who conducted significant research during the 1960s.

Stigma is when someone judges you based on a personal trait. Unfortunately this is a common experience for people who have a mental health condition. Stigma may be obvious and direct, such as someone making a negative comment about your mental illness or treatment. Or it may be subtle, such as someone assuming you could be unstable, violent and dangerous. Some of the issues facing those suffering mental illness may include:

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.

Structural stigma is distributed broadly within the whole society and can cause the most devastating impact on life, which refers to the policies of public and private institutions that limit the rights and opportunities of people with mental illness, either intentionally or unintentionally (Heller & Gitterman, 2011).