Essay On Mental Disorders

2351 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: essays on stigma

“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about” (Hourani 142). A mental disorder is an illness that is experienced by an undeniably large amount of people, and despite this it is still met with discrimination. People perceive mental illness to be less severe and important than physical illness, but by bringing attention to the stigma, people will be aware of the disease. However, what is most surprising is the fact that people’s negative outlook is based on a misconception and misunderstanding about mental disorders as opposed to its reality. This is a pertinent concern in our society because of the way this prejudice affects the mentally ill. Not only are they faced with feelings of insecurity about who they are, but they also are subject to be treated as less than equals, and are seen as outcasts. As any logical person would conclude, this does in no way help the person going down the path of recovery. When what they would need is understanding and acceptance by their surroundings, they are faced instead with distrust and fear by others. There are many matters that are being debated and argued about that are less pressing than erasing the stigma. People are affected with mental disorders daily and it does not only have an impact on the person but as well as on society’s progress; its mentality and its development. In order for people with mental illness to be helped, society needs to identify the stigmas of mental illness, confront the discrimination involved with mental illness, and then try to understand how the causes and effects of these stigmas affects the individual and society. Society portrays people with mental disorders, and the illness itself in a different way than its t... ... middle of paper ... ... When someone hears someone stereotyping mentally ill people, they should speak up tell them off. Stopping stereotyping is the hardest part but nonetheless essential to erasing the stigma. The media and the news however are those who greatly influence people and are the ones that need to speak up. Accurate representations of mentally ill people should be displayed, and more positive stories involving recovery in order to provide society with a new and inspiring perception. In 2010 the Mental Health Commission of Canada started a 10 year long project to stop the stigma associated with mental health. They started with teenagers from age 12 to 18 as they are the upcoming generation and need to be informed of the discrimination. Next they moved to mental health workers because according to mentally ill people, it is at work where they are faced with stigma the most.

Show More
Related

  • Case Study: To Hide Or Not To Hide?

    1203 Words  | 3 Pages

    For a very long time, mental health was a disease people would not dare speak about. The stigma associated with mental health meant that it was viewed as a curse or simply poor upbringing. Crazy, right? (Pardon the pun). Although it’s not seen as a curse by us in this generation any more, many people with mental health issues still have to face ignorance, prejudice and discrimination from our society just because of their lack of understanding or reluctance to try and understand. Be that as it may, these attitudes directly impact upon how and if people choose to seek help, making the negative and ignorant opinions and attitudes of others potentially dangerous to many individuals and the people around them.

    Read More

  • Girl Interrupted And American Horror Story: Insane Asylum

    1971 Words  | 4 Pages

    The stigma and negative associations that go with mental illness have been around as long as mental illness itself has been recognized. As society has advanced, little changes have been made to the deep-rooted ideas that go along with psychological disorders. It is clearly seen throughout history that people with mental illness are discriminated against, cast out of society, and deemed “damaged”. They are unable to escape the stigma that goes along with their illness, and are often left to defend themselves in a world that is not accepting of differences in people. Society needs to realize what it is doing, and how it is affecting these people who are affected with mental illness. If we continue to not help them, and to foster their illness, it will only get worse.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Cable Guy And John Rambo

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    People with mental illness are usually thought to be psychotic, crazy, pathetic or even dishonest in the way such that they can use their illness to provoke sympathy and get away with certain things the rest of us can’t (Byrne, 2000, p. 2). These negative stereotypes further enhance the idea that people with mental illnesses are not like us and should be avoided. While it is true some of the more extreme mental illnesses can cause harm to others, most of these disorders are not dangerous to the rest of us, and the people that suffer from them are regular

    Read More

  • The Stigma Of Mental Illness

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • What Is Stigma?

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    “A common news account of mental illness, for instance, involves a sensationalized and violent crime in which an innocent person is killed by a mental health patient. The article is laced with graphic descriptions, emotional diction and a glaring headline. It also depicts the mentally ill person as devoid of social identity and dangerous, capricious, aggressive and irrational” (Fawcett, 2015). In prime time television “characters who were identified through behavior or label as having a mental illness were 10 times more likely than other TV characters to commit a violent crime – and between 10 to 20 times more likely to commit a violent crime than someone with a mental illness would be in real life” (Fawcett, 2015). Besides violence, there is also the inaccurate portrayal of mentally ill people never getting better. There is rarely ever a time where the recovery of a mentally ill person is shown. They often are not given any screen time that shows them integrated into society with jobs and friends (Fawcett,

    Read More

  • Media Representation Of Mental Illness Essay

    2182 Words  | 5 Pages

    To make mental illness known well, the media should portray it as it really is. Mental illness does not make the victim crazy. Mental illnesses are true diseases that make the obstacles in life that much tougher than they really are for a person without a mental illness. The stigma against mental illness prevents many people from seeking the lifesaving treatment that could help them.

    Read More

  • Mental Media And Social Issues In The Mental Health Community

    1750 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mental health is an issue that has been bombarded with unanswered questions and cursed with a social stigma. Throughout history this has created a social divide between mental health issues and the mainstream media. This disparity doesn’t only create a social separation, but a lapse in ethics, making it tolerable to look down on people in the mental health community. Historically, patients have been placed or forced into mental institutions in order to “cure” them of their mental obscurity so that they can function normally in the society, yet for centuries this has proven to be an ongoing struggle for the mental health community. With all of the new advancements in medicine and our ability to cure more physical and mental ailments than

    Read More

  • What Is Mental Health As A Social Justice Issue?

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Mental Health Stigma and the Healthcare System

    2062 Words  | 5 Pages

    The mental health stigma has become a prevalent issue in the world of medical care. It can prevent people from receiving proper medical care and the quality of care people may receive. Stigma is defined as members of groups who violate the norms established by the dominant or privileged group and, as such, are marked as deviant (Jr. and Kite). Stigma can also lead to discrimination. The way we can try and diminish the severity of the stigma is to create transparency and openness about mental illness. Seeing that people are not defined by their disorder and can be successful regardless of the diagnosis. That they are not defined by their diagnosis they just have and suffer with the disorder. Also promoting education about mental health issues can diminish the myths about these issues thus lessening the amount of stigma. I have seen instances on our own campus in which they could have promoted counseling and mental health among the student body. I think the staff body could have took a more proactive approach to mental health. Instead of waiting until after students committed suicide and trying to fix the problem they could actively be promoting it regardless of the instances on the university campus. There are two different types of stigma; public and self-stigma. These stigmas can have different effects on the individual. Everyone has mental health and raising awareness about it and eliminating the stigma can help the world learn how to discuss and change this problem.

    Read More

  • The Day The Voices Stopped: A Memoir Of Madness And Hope '

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Mental Health Stigma in our Society

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • Mental Stigma Essay

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    People with a mental illness are often feared and rejected by society. This occurs because of the stigma of mental illness. The stigma of mental illness causes the perception of individuals with mental illnesses to be viewed as being dangerous and insane. They are viewed and treated in a negative way. They are almost seen as being less of a human. The stigma affects the individual with a mental illness in such a cruel way. The individual cannot even seek help without the fear of being stigmatized by their loved ones or the general public. The stigma even leads to some individuals developing self-stigma. This means having a negative perception of one’s self, such as viewing one’s self as being dangerous. The worst part is that the effects of

    Read More

  • Stigma Essay

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    This article puts into perspective how those who are mentally ill lose their quality of life by becoming stigmatized by those surrounding them personally and in a broader sense. Their jobs, housing, health care, and affiliation with others is negatively impacted because of the stigma placed upon them because of their mental illness. This article continues to describe the stigmas that are placed upon the mentally ill by our Western culture. The authors state that mentally ill persons deal with being feared and excluded because of their mental state. They also deal with being viewed as irresponsible because of their mental diagnosis. Finally, they are seen as immature and childlike, thus requiring constant care to be put into place for them. Not only do these authors focus on public stigmas, but they also focus on how these cultural stigmas cause those who are mentally ill to begin to internally stigmatize themselves. This causes self-esteem issues; thus, this causes the individual to feel less worthy and less likely to succeed in his or her future in all areas of

    Read More

  • What Is Mental Health Education Essay

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mass media “references to people with mental health problems found more than four in ten articles in the press used derogatory terms about mental health and nearly half of press coverage related mental illness to violence and crime” (Esseler, 244). This is causing for people to look down upon the mention of mental illnesses and many times ignore the importance of confronting this issue. Therefore the importance of removing this stigmatization is crucial. Education allows to make more informed decisions and then changing the perception of mental illness can lead towards policy changes toward the improvement of mental health (Sakellari,

    Read More

  • Mental Illness Essay

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    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).

    Read More

More about Essay On Mental Disorders

Open Document