Stigma is an important issue for healthcare providers who work in the field of mental health. For organizational purposes, this paper uses the DEAL reflection model developed by Sarah Ash and Patti Clayton (2004). By the end of this reflection, my learning goal is to clarify nursing students’ role in learning, practicing, and promoting the trauma-informed practice and anti-stigma health education in clinical and community settings. For health professionals, realizing the existence and influence of stigma is important for care planning. According to Emma Lindley, a senior researcher, stigma is “a socially mediated phenomenon which is co-created by social difference and prejudice”, though it is possible that “‘stigma’ may actually be …show more content…
There are 6 principles of trauma-informed care: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, and cultural sensitivity (Bair-Merritt, 2015). During clinical placement, I noticed that clients who lacked social support tend to have prolonged periods of hospitalization with multiple readmissions and rely heavily on social services. Many clients expressed concerns regarding taking “Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH)”, though AISH helped clients to relieve financial stress and improve the homeless condition (Duguay & Malacrida, 2009). Many clients feared of becoming dependent on disability funds and being labelled as “useless” or “lazy”. From N309, I learned that stigma arises from labelling, stereotype, otherness, lost of social status, and discrimination. The cause of stigma lies in between client’s ineffective coping with stress (“fear”) and people’s misconception of mental health (“blame”) (Gergel, 2014). People with traumatic experience tend to have more difficulty coping with stressful life events, and trauma-informed care helps clients establish positive self-perceptions and build resilience. I learned that clients could benefit from support groups because many of them shared similar problems. Hence, I should put myself in the clients’ shoes and be non-judgmental …show more content…
Wounds could be healed in a week through the use of medical and surgical interventions, but mental illnesses are almost always chronic and require a lot of health management. I need to change my idea about “fixing” people and use myself as a tool to help clients to improve their quality of life. Instead of giving suggestions and trying to stabilize the client with medical or surgical techniques, mental health nursing requires more cooperation between nurses and clients. It is important to build therapeutic relationships and provide health education. Hence, I wanted to expand my knowledge through learning about complementary therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy and behavioural change
On November 17th approximately 30 people and I congregated to the OSU College of Nursing to watch The Anonymous People, a documentary film about American’s who are living in long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. The film addressed the stigma related to alcoholics and drug addicts, including their experiences to the track of recovery. Applicable to what we have discussed in class, I was able to understand more into the healthcare stigma and healthcare disparities that people around us deal with daily. The eye opening video provided an example into the lives of people, famous or not, being mistreated and judged due to their life choices. As a group frequently misunderstood, the film tries to teach the audience to a new view
Davey, Graham. "Mental Health & Stigma." . Psychology Today, 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Apr.
This stereotype contributes to the stigma individuals’ face and encourages social exclusion and intolerance, especially in schizophrenia (Ray & Brooks Dollar, 2014). Ken sought out help and went to the emergency room because he recognized he was severely depressed. There, the doctor promised he would not be put in restraints, yet when he was taken to the hospital, he was placed in restraints because it was company policy (Steele & Berman, 2001). Due the stigma that individuals with mental illness are violent, Ken was not treated fairly (Stuart & Arboleda-Florez, 2012). Stuart and Arboleda-Florez (2012) are very credible authors to be writing on the effects of stigma in mental health. Both authors have experience in psychiatry, combatting stigma and mental health issues.
The discussion of mental health is slowly being brought to the social surface to create a more inclusive society for those dealing with a mental illness. However, those with a mental illness are continuously being affected by stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination by those who simply don’t comprehend the complexity of the human brain (Glaser, G.2017). As more people become mental health activist, they are exposing the plethora of issues surrounding the overall mental and physical stability of those who are negatively affected by the social construct of what it means to be normal.
Throughout her presentation, she explains how public stigmas, once again, cause label avoidance pushing many who need help away from treatment. She then goes on to explain how these stereotyped behaviors cause discrimination towards people with a mental illness from employment to housing which only leads to the creation of more stigmas. Finally, she states how the impact of stigmas is associated with the reduction of self-esteem, overall poor health, and problems with interpersonal relationships (Willits). By using this presentation I am able to connect what we have learned about mental health stigmas to my article. First off, for example, Morris explains how psychiatric units invoke people to imagine a frightening place where insane patients are strapped down and poked and prodded for care (Morris). This stereotypical idea relates to how Willits described general stereotypes associated with mental illness such as crazy and dangerous (Willits). On top of that, Willits explained how these stigmas have negative consequences for patients (Willits). This relates to Morris’s explanation on how the stigma around institutions has caused these units to shut down forcing many people to be homeless or live in jail
St. Patrick's Mental Health Service. (2013, September 10). Stigma Still a Significant Factor. Retrieved April 2014, from St. Patricks Mental Health Services: Empowering Recovery: https://www.stpatricks.ie/stigma-still-significant-factor
Claire Henderson, Sara Evans-Lacko, Clare Flach, Graham, Thornicrofi. "Responses to Mental Health Stigma Questions: "The Importance of Social Desirability and Data Collection Method." Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Mar 2012. Vol 57, No3. Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 01 Apr 2014.
Mental illness misconceptions construct stigmatization within society. There are many source of mental illness stigma from inadequate information, media, religion, and ethnicity. In their article “Wearing the Label of Mental Illness: Community-Based Participatory Action Research of Mental Illness Stigma”, by Jean Theuer, Nicole Jean-Paul, Kristi Cheyney, Mirka Koro-Ljungberg, and Bruce Stevens illustrate that inadequate information and the media construct negative stereotypes while religion and ethnicity are conciliators of mental illness. The authors conduct a study which focuses on the community level and examines how community member experience stigma associated with mental illness. And what occurs when an individual is labeled with mental illness. The study identified four sources of mental illness stigma. One, inadequate information, leads to dependents on stereotypes. One interviewee explains that “there’s no good place to get information about it in daily life unless you seek it out. I mean no one ever sits down and talks to you about it in school”. Two, the media contributes to negative stereotypes about mental illness. Since Interviewees could not find adequate information about mental illness. They rely on the media as a source of information. Some interviewees did know that the media illustrate the stereotypic mental illness. Emphasizing the high frequency of characters with severe mental illnesses than compared
The two different types of stigma have different effects on the attitude towards those with mental health issues. The public stigma can lead to discrimination and prejudice. The prejudice and discrimination that result from the public stigma can prevent those diag...
Thomas, B. Hardy, S. and Cutting, P. (1997) Mental health Nursing: Principles and Practice London: Mosby
This stigma causes the affected person to experience denial or shame of their condition. Perceived stigma can result in the patient being scared to seek help. Stigma can be divided into two perspectives, public and self stigma. Upadhyay says, "Public stigma occurs when the general Most of the time there are many people out there who can afford to attain health insurance or have insurance but their insurance doesn't cover mental health. The poor are the one's who gets hit hard the most.
There are many ways in which the mentally ill are degraded and shamed. Most commonly, people are stated to be “depressed” rather than someone who “has depression”. It is a common perception that mental illnesses are not a priority when it comes to Government spending just as it is forgotten that most mental health disorders can be treated and lead a normal life if treatment is successful. The effect of this makes a sufferer feels embarrassed and feel dehumanized. A common perception is that they should be feared or looked down upon for something they have not caused. People experience stigma as a barrier that can affect nearly every aspect of life—limiting opportunities for employment, housing and education, causing the loss of family ...
Varcarolis, E. M., Carson, V. B., & Shoemaker, N. C. (2006). In Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (p. 283). St. Louis: Elsevier Inc.
Stigma is socially constructed and displayed through exclusion, blame, or devaluation of an individual or a group of individuals because of a negative social judgment towards these individual(s) (Cockerham 2014). Stigma comes in several forms, whether that be the stigmatization of one’s physical irregularities or mental irregularities. Whereas, Cockerham (2014) defines discrimination as when an individual or group of individuals unfairly and prejudicially behave towards certain forms of human-beings or objects. Discrimination can also take on many forms. People can discriminate against practically anything, but some of the most common forms are discrimination against one’s age, gender, sex, race, physical illness, and, of course, mental illness.
Stigma is a powerful tool of social control. Stigma can be used to marginalize, exclude and exercise power over individuals who show certain characteristics. While the societal rejection of certain social groups (e.g. 'homosexuals, injecting drug users, sex workers') may predate HIV/AIDS, the disease has, in many cases, reinforced this stigma. By blaming certain individuals or groups, society can excuse itself from the responsibility of caring for and looking after such populations. This is seen not only in the manner in which 'outsider' groups are often blamed for bringing HIV into a country, but also in how such groups are denied access to the services and treatment they need.