The Effects Of Discrimination On The Workplace From Social Worker 's Perspectives

When a person with mental illness feels stigmatized among the community they seek health care professionals who can help them feel better. Consumers expect to have understanding and respect in the health sector. Unfortunately, some consumers experience the opposite way and they also felt the stigma with health care providers (SANE Australia 2013).

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

Social Work is a helping profession that strives to help the community on micro, mezzo, and macro levels. It is an investment of self to offer services and help to those in need. Areas of service can include, but are not limited to, traumatic situations, family situations, and child protection. As in most social service professions, the field of social work can often times take a toll on the emotional and physical stability of a social worker. One side effect from working in a helping profession is compassion fatigue. As a result, the National Association of Social Workers stresses the importance of self-care and its vitality in ensuring the social worker does not get burnt out by the profession.

Social workers are often on the forefront in the fight against any form of oppression as against the marginalized society. These demanding but oftentimes unappreciated efforts are often addressed through the conscious use of skills and knowledge of the problems being solved against. When such oppression is however committed against them within the organization where they work, the social worker seems to be mum about the situation, or their efforts perhaps are rendered inutile. North America social workers experience this form of oppression within the social service institution. For this reason, I examine the arguments why the social workers need to be aware of the existence of this unique form of oppression. In order to eliminate oppression in the social welfare workplace, the social workers, in their pursuit of social change, must have a competent understanding of the theory around racism and oppression.

Social Work is a career defined as “work carried out by trained personal with the aim of alleviating the conditions of those in need of help or welfare”. Social work varies in several fields, social workers work as part of multi-disciplinary teams with child welfare organizations, adoption and foster care agencies, hospitals, schools, prisons, mental health institutions, and more. Social work may leave the impression that it’s an easy field because it is assumed that all social workers do is serve others and manage paperwork but that is only a small chunk of the job. Social workers must deal with the ethical and emotional aspect of helping others. As a social worker, it is critical to comply with the National Association of Social Workers

I have yet to encounter a social worker who entered the profession for acclaim or prestige. It is a demanding career with long hours and ceaseless paperwork. Social workers are frequently overburdened in addition to being underpaid. Occasionally, they witness agonizing tragedy, fundamentally changing them. Having worked in social services for a number of years, I have had these experiences.

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”.

ts our study of the stigma related to mental health illness. There is a lack of research investigating the portrayal of psychologists, those affected by mental illness and issues of mental health; this lack of research prevents any interventions from being made to protect those at risk. “With the continued portrayals of therapy in the media, it is important to consider how these images may affect attitudes and beliefs that can contribute to help seeking behavior”. (Maier, et al., 2013, p.1). Although there is research supporting that psychological and medical treatment are effective for a broad range of mental illnesses, only around 11% of those who have a diagnosable issue will seek help (Corrigan, 2004). The researchers of this article were interested in how the media portrayal of psychologists and mental illnesses impacts those who should seek therapy, through the formation of stigma. The hypothesis of the article study is formed around the idea that turning to a professional for help is not viewed as a sign of weakness when the psychologists are viewed as trustworthy and have experience.

The labelling and stigma attached to mental illness has held and retained my interest over the course of the semester, as it has equipped me with future skills to be able to apply to my future practice as a social worker as well as to my own personal life. Having had a close family member of

Due to the wide variety of populations that social workers interact with throughout their careers, it is important that they are knowledgeable about the unique lived experiences of their clients. It is also pertinent that social workers are informed about the overarching systems that their clients are involved in, as well as the policies that have a significant influence on their clients’ lives. In his book, Crazy, Pete Earley has presented a detailed examination of a population that he has a personal connection to: individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Earley, a former news reporter, described his experiences interviewing stakeholders in the mental health and criminal justice systems in hopes to shed light on the injustices

Social workers is a particularly hazardous profession due to high burnout rates, anxiety, substance use, depression, and suicide (Shanafelt, Boone, Tan, Dyrbye, Sotile, Satele, Oreskovich, 2012). Studies have found that there are two key factors were identified as relevant to social work burnout: age and setting (Brewer & Shapard, 2004; Schwartz, et al. 2007). The team found that younger social workers reported lower personal accomplishment, higher psychological strain, and higher levels of depersonalization than older social workers (Schwartz, et al., 2007).

al, 2015; Pearl et. al, 2017). Because of this, it is important that future studies are conducted that investigate the prevalence of the mental health stigma in the United States so that nation-wide programs may be directed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Enumerating on the negative effects of the mental illness stigma is relatively easy given the fact that there is considerable research on the subject. For example, Corrigan (2004) notes that mental health stigma is linked to decreased access to mental health care in those who need it, which in turn exacerbates their situation and further perpetuates the idea that lack of proper mental health care is acceptable. According to Oexle et. al (2015), mental illness stigma is linked to a higher risk for suicidal ideation and feelings of hopelessness in those with mental health problems, which results in an increased risk of suicide. In addition, the effects of the stigma can be seen throughout the therapeutic process. As Pearl et. al note (2017), increased internalized stigma is associated with worse mental health condition, and decreased stigma results in decreased symptomatic severity in those with mental health issues. This means that if someone feels highly stigmatized throughout the treatment process that they will likely recover more slowly than those who feels less stigmatized. This again proves why it is important to study which populations suffer the most from mental health stigmatization so that it can be properly addresses in hopes of reducing the countless negative effects associated with

Mental illness has become one of the most rapidly growing diagnoses to date ranging from clinical depression to Schizophrenia. It has become a worldwide epidemic and has created a shortage of specialized workers. As the shortage of veteran mental health workers declines, the amount of recent college graduates increase. Additionally, as more individuals aim to obtain a Social Work degree many have been reluctant to enter the mental health field due to stigmas and negative attitudes surrounding mental health patients. This has brought up the question of whether or not students within social work department and students not in social work would be comfortable working with individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. In order to successfully answer this question the University of Tennessee conducted a study which included three types of students: those who were actively in social work classes, those who had other majors but were still in Social Work and those who were not in social work classes. This study not only measured the student’s willingness to work with mentally ill individuals but also measured their attitudes regarding the concept of mental health.

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).