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Effects of stigma and discrimination
Effects of stigma and discrimination
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Mental illness is very common and affects thousands of people in the UK and around the world. Research shows that every year 1 in 4 British adults experience at least one mental disorder (Singleton et al, 2001, 32) and around 450 million people worldwide are estimated to have a mental health problem (World Health Organisation, 2001). Mental illness can be defined as “Medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder” (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2013). Negative stigmas …show more content…
Disclosure of mental health can lead to discrimination within the work place such as social exclusion, lack of opportunity to progress in job or over-inferring of mistakes to illness (Brohan & Thornicroft, 2010, 413). Stigmatising views and attitudes of employers and co-workers make it very hard for someone with mental health problems to compete with others in a workforce or to obtain a job, so it is easy to understand why disclosure is so …show more content…
& Yuill, C. (2011) Understanding the Sociology of Health. 3rd Edition. London: SAGE Bjorklund, Robert (1998) First Person Account: Psychosocial Implications of Stigma Caused by Misdiagnosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin 4 653-655 Brindle, David (2013), Mental health anti-stigma campaign fails to shift health proffesionals' attitudes, http://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2013/apr/03/mental-health-anti-stigma-campaign (accessed 17th December 2013) Brohan, Elaine & Thornicroft, Graham (2010) Stigma and discrimination of mental health problems: workplace implications. Occupational Medicine. 60 414- 420 Chivers,Tom (2013) Is the stigma of mental illness lifting? Jonathan Trott's Ashes exit hints that it may be, http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/100247481/is-the-stigma-of-mental-illness-lifting-jonathan-trotts-ashes-exit-hints-that-it-may-be/ (accessed 13th December 2013) Corrigan, Patrick, Larson, Jonathan, Rusch, Nicolas (2009), Self-stigma and the "why try" effect: impact on life goals and evidence-based practices. World Psychiatry. 8:75-81 Corrigan & Penn (1999), Lessons from social psychology on discrediting psychiatric stigma. American Psychologist, 54
Those who push themselves to speak out and seek help end up feeling worse than before due to discrimination in the workplace, as the average per person cost of lost employment due to schizophrenia and related illnesses for those ages 45-64 is £19,078, while costs for those aged 15-44 were just under £30,000. Because of something out of their control, their entire lifestyle has to be sacrificed in order to try and get the help they need. This also influences other individuals in similar situations to keep quiet about their illness to prevent losing their job or becoming a victim to discrimination and bullying in the workplace. It is bad enough for adults to go through this but what about
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.
Thoit, Link, Bruce G., and Jo C. Phelan. "Labeling and Stigma." Handbook of the sociology of mental health. Springer Netherlands, 2013. 525-541.
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.
The recent restriction on pre-employment questionnaire by section 60 of the Equality Act 2010, has been a positive step in recognizing that people with a mental health problem experience stigma and discrimination in finding work (Brohan et al., 2012). Work can play an important role in both developing and maintaining psychological health, it provides a connection to the broader social and economical world which presents opportunities to use skills , as well as offering goals, variety, money, physical security, interpersonal contact, and a valued social position (Brohan et al., 2013). People with mental health problem frequently report discrimination in employment. In a US survey 61% felt they were turned down for a job for which they were qualified when they disclosed their illness (Henderson et al., 2012). Evidence suggest that employers would like prospective employees to disclose a mental health problem at the application stage (80% in 2006 and 77% in 2009) (Brohan et al.,
Rosenfield, S.,Labeling Mental Illness: The Effects of Received Services and Perceived Stigma on Life Satisfaction [Electronic Version], American Sociological Review Vol. 62, No. 4 (Aug., 1997), pp. 660-672
In this paper, I will analyze the stigma around mental illness and how the power of words and labels help
Prince, M.; Patel. V.; Saxena, S.; Maj, M.; Maselko, J.; Phillips, M.R.; and Rehman, Atif. (2007). No Health without Mental Health. Global Mental Health Series 1, 370: 859–77
Mental illness shapes the lives of many Australians and leads to both positive and negative experiences. Stigma and discrimination impacts negatively on the lives of individuals affected with mental health illnesses. An anti-sigma campaign (Time to Change, 2016) states that stigma occurs, “when we make assumptions about how mental health problems will affect someone’s behaviour, this makes it more likely that they will be singled out, or labelled as different, dangerous or strange”. There are many negative influences of stigma that precedes the lives of individuals suffering with mental illness, and this paper will discuss several effects. Mental health consumers have abundant opportunities in life, yet self-stigma may generate feelings of
In the article Issues and Controversies says, "Throughout most of human history, people with mental illness were ostracized, isolated, and persecuted." ( Infobase,1) This belief system can give causation of mental illness in different cultures and such influences in a community will always be in a negative manner. Various societies struggle with the notion of mental health. The standards of every culture believe to be considered normal, natural, or healthy. These views lead to disagreements about the causes, diagnosis, and the treatment of the disorders. Many people with mental problems are discriminated against because of their mental disorder. Mental illness and stigma refers to the view of the person with mental illness as having undesirable traits. Stigma leads to negative behavior, stereotyping, and discriminatory behavior towards the person with mental health issues. 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
Stigma and discrimination are prevalent amongst individuals suffering from mental health conditions and disorders in most aspects of their lives, and with the negative effects that can result from these, the impacts on the person can be detrimental. A survey of Australian’s who, at the time, were suffering mental illness, say that reducing stigma would make an improvement in their lives. The prevalence of stigma and the impacts of discrimination have been ongoing matters of concern within the mental health industry, government bodies and consumers, however, even though there has been some progress in the reduction of stigma, the need for addressing these concerns in an attempt to further reduce stigmata and protect the rights of mental health consumers in Australia still exists.
Imagine society blamed people for being diagnosed with illnesses such as cancer? Claiming that it was their choices in life that led to such an awful disease. To make them feel guilty of a situation that was in no way deserved by them. This happens all the time to victims of mental illness, but with the added burden of shame. Considering the shocking statistic that one in four will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year in the UK , why is it that we hardly hear of people suffering from mental illness? Why is it a cloud of judgment and misunderstanding still surrounds the subject? People with a mental disorder or with a history of mental health issues are continually ostracized by society. This results in it being more difficult than it already is for the mentally ill to admit their symptoms to others and to seek treatment. To towards understanding mental illness is to finally lift the stigma, and to finally let sufferers feel safe and accepted within today’s society.
Corrigan, Patrick W., and Amy C. Watson. "Understanding the Impact of Stigma on People with
As stated previously stigma can affect many aspects of people’s lives, the impact on a sufferer’s personal life can be detrimental to their mental well-being, relationships and disruption of work life. Unfortunately, stigma doesn’t just affect sufferers but also branches out impacting their loved ones. This discrimination can lead to further psychiatric troubles such as depression. This tribulation can often act as a barrier to sufferers wanting to seek early treatment due to their shame they feel being associated with mental illness. Stigma also affects the sufferers in a way to convince them to disengage from services or stop taking medication, all of which can cause relapse and hinder their
In conclusion, stigma still effects millions of individuals dealing with mental illness, and taking away opportunities for a better life. However, no direct answers have been made on how to diminish mental health stigma. Protest, education, and contact have been research time and again. The research shows that more research is needed in order to change beliefs of the general public and employees. One author suggested that anxiety and stress in working environment is related to the social stigma of mental illness and to change the stigma or perception contact with individuals is needed (Jorm et al. 2009, p. 184).