Warrior King Stigmatization

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.

Although stigmatizing attitudes are not only relatable to mental illness, the public attitudes towards mental illness tend to be more disapproving than towards people with physical illnesses (Piner and Kahle, 1984; Socall and Holtgraves, 1992; Weiner, Perry and Magnusson, 1988). Those with mental illnesses are viewed as being more likely to be responsible for their mental illness (Corrigan et al., 2000; 105). This assumptions is more towards those who suffer from substance additions and eating disorders rather than those who suffer from conditions such as schizophrenia (Angermeyer and Matschinger, 2004). Such attitudes as these therefore lead to discrimination. People in society are less likely to employ (Bordieri and Drehmer, 1986) and rent apartments (Page, 1977) to those suffering from mental illness, citizens are also more likely to direct false accusations of violence to the mentally ill. (Explaining the increased arrest rate among mental patients: a cautionary note, 1980; Steadman, 1981)

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

Labelling and stigma has now more than ever become an increasing problem with cultural and social views being extrapolated onto domestic violence victims and mental health patients. Stigma is a concept that consists of three parts: self-stigma, structural stigma and public stigma. Public stigma is a culturally constructed view by society based on a strong disapproval of what is perceived to be different from the ‘norm’, thus making them a marginalised group (Corrigan & O’Shaughnessy, 2007, pp. 90-91). This type of stigma links in with structural stigma that has policies in place which exclude these types of people from further life opportunities and labels them as ‘different’. These two types of stigma intertwine with self-stigma that often

Historically, society has believed that people with mental disorders tend to be more violent than normal people, creating a stigma for patients. They thought that a mentally ill person tends to cause harm and chaos which was difficult for this person to deal with. In fact, research suggests that public opinions on the relationship between mental illness and violence do not reflect reality, although some people with psychiatric disorders commit violent crimes, it was not really clear about how much mental illness or substance abuse affect violent behaviour. Media had a great effect on people by making them think that the mentally ill are violent which was proved to be a myth, as they are more likely to be victims than offenders.

The Deviance Model places certain individuals who portray qualities of what we may consider as people with mental illness, where their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors violate own or others expectations (the violation of social norms). This sociological approach is frequently debated where the individual is being conceptualized as either sick or deviant which then reflects on their deviant behavior. Deviant behaviors should not determine whether someone is mentally ill or not. There are individuals who are mentally sick, such as pedophiles, in which most would agree to have mental illness though there are no biological factors to support that. In Thoits reading, Sociological Approaches to Mental Illness, the name in itself “Social Reaction Theory” underlies the basis of the theory, that the labeling theory as deviance is produced by social means. He argues that people who are labeled/treated as deviant become deviant. This is a ripple effect in where that individual begins to suffer due to social concepts, i.e., pedophiles are usually a result of early traumatic child sexual abuse. Becker explains that there is “No such thing as an inherently or naturally deviant act- deviance only occurs (or not) after the fact” (Thoits). This clearly demonstrates that society plays an important role in people’s lives which indeterminately affect those who don’t accept the social norms and are soon labeled as mentally ill in most cases. In my opinion, the model underlies mental illness

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 disorders can affect people of any age, race, religion, or income. However, people of lower economic and social statuses as well as women and racial minorities suffer from mental illness at a higher rate than other groups. Mental disorders derive from physical, biological or environmental causes but can effect each person differently. Thomas Sazasz argue that mental illnesses are not diseases because mental illnesses cannot be confirmed by objective laboratory tests or body imaging. Those who suffer from different types of mental disorders are judged upon unusual actions that seem strange to others based off their conception of appropriate behavior. The public links mental disorders to violence, which reinforce people’s fear of violence

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”.

Stigma is a pervasive social concept which arises from feelings of being threatened, superiority, or when people have a negative view towards people of a different demographic (Kamaradova et al. 2016). This pervasiveness was the initiation of the institutionalisation for people with mental illness. However, overtime this practice of institutionalisation has been removed as society adopts a different, more knowledgeable approach to

People with mental disorders were considered as vulnerable in the society due to the limitations in their rights. Such a situation of individuals cause oppressions as a result of dominant discourse prejudice. The capabilities of people with mental health histories often underestimated by the community. The result of such discrimination is devastating for individuals with mental health concerns. The focus of mental health intervention has undergone changes since its introduction. The treatment services have become more respectful of the rights of the individuals as the institutionalized services became more community oriented services (Rodriguez del Barrio et al., 2014). If a person is diagnosed with a mental disorder, the society tends to ostracize the individual and stigma attached to such situations can be termed as sanism (Morrow & Weisser, 2012). Sanism contributes to an organized suppression and oppression of mental health consumers (Perlin, 1992, 2003; Poole et al., 2012 as cited in LeBlanc & Kinsella, 2016). An intersectionality analysis coupled with anti-oppressive approach can be used to unpack sanism and other multiple oppressions faced by the marginalized population (Mullaly, 2010).

“…the disorder must be discrete and well-defined; recognized as a specific illness in the culture it is primarily associated in; must be expected, recognized, and to some degree sanctioned as a response to certain participants in the culture; and a higher incidence or prevalence of the disorder must exist in societies in which the disorder is culturally recognised.”

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).

Stigma can be defined as a mark of shame or ignominy that sets individuals apart from others. Goffman notes “Society establishes the means of categorizing persons and the complement of attributes felt to be ordinary and natural for members of each of these categories”. (Goffman) Given, when a person is labeled by said illness, disorder, or deviancy they are seen as a part of a stereotyped group and as a result are stigmatized by the “normals”. Moreover, the routines of social interactions in society allow us to create normative expectations and demands for the way ones in said society are expected to

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).