Stigmas towards people with mental illness are very common and are a challenge to the stigmatized individuals. They are also an important issue in the psychology discipline. Fink and Tasman (1992) define stigma as a mark for disgrace that set a person apart from the rest. There are different types of stigmas namely; public stigma, self-stigma and institutional stigma and these can co-exist. The aim of this essay is to examine the term stigma and discuss the negative attitudes that the public hold towards people suffering with mental illness and suggest why they may have adopted these views and attitudes. To also address the media's role in portraying these views and sustaining these attitudes towards mental illness. Finally conclude by making some recommendations for practice, ways that stigma can be reduced and how mental illness can be …show more content…
Moreover, they believe that people with mental illness are more likely to hurt others, act violently and engage in criminal activities however, this is not true. These false assumptions are as a result of people having minimal knowledge about mental illness. Furthermore, society tends to perpetuate a discriminating and stereotyping attitude towards those with mental illness. When society labels a person by their illness, that society is said to be stereotypical. Stereotypical behaviour creates prejudice which leads to discrimination. Rogers and Pilgrim (2009) defines public stigma as the “everyday life discrimination encountered by persons with mental illness in interpersonal interactions.” Stigma can pervade every aspects of the person’s life. For instance, public stigma robs mentally ill persons with social opportunities, employment opportunities and ultimately diminishes their self-esteem. Often when self-esteem
As noted previously, system justification theory suggests that individuals possess a motive to justify and rationalize the status quo. According to the theory, stereotypes are often used to bolster the status quo because they easily explain differences among groups and thereby justify inequalities. The most commonly held stereotypes about mental illness in Western society are that its sufferers are dangerous, incompetent and personally responsible for their illness (Dickstein, Vogt, Handa & Litz, 2010). Not surprisingly, stereotypes like these have resulted in the persistent stigma around mental illness that exists today.
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 media in American society has a major influential impact on the minds and beliefs of millions of people. Whether through the news, television shows, or film, the media acts as a huge database for knowledge and instruction. It is both an auditory and visual database that can press images and ideas into people's minds. Even if the individual has no prior exposure or knowledge to something, the media can project into people's minds and leave a lasting impression. Though obviously people are aware of what they are listening to or watching, thoughts and assumptions can drift into their minds without even realizing it. These thoughts that drift in are extremely influential. The massive impact it can leave on America's perception leads to generalizations, assumptions, and stigmas. The media influence is not always negative, however. In most cases it has beneficial and positive aspects. Without the media, people would be drastically less informed and conscientious about major issues in the world around us. In some cases, however, the way the media portrays an issue can twist one's perception, leaving an assumption instead of a factual concept. Mental illness is one of the biggest concepts that the media has distorted due to the majority of portrayals the media presents. Mental health is extremely important and plays a key role in every individual's life. Yet it is also has millions of misconceptions. Mental illness is more common that one would like to believe. In reality, one in five Americans will suffer from a mental disorder in any given year. Though that ratio is about equivalent to more than fifty-four million people, mental illness still remains a shameful and stigmatized topic (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). The taboo of mental illness has an extensive and exhausting history, dating back to the beginning of American colonization. It has not been an easy road to say the least. Due to the endless efforts and research of certain foundations and individuals, the ideas and functions of mental health have improved significantly. The advancements made in the field are impressive and without them humankind would not be the same. Yet then why do only fewer than eight million people who are in need of help seek treatment? (National Mental Health Association, 2001). The history, stigmatization, and perce...
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.
There are so many types of mental illnesses that affect people every day. When some people think of mental illnesses they think of the ones that would cause people to have physical symptoms as well, but that’s untrue, there are many more that you would never know anyone has if you were to see them on the street. As defined by the 2008 encyclopedia “a mental illness is any disease of the mind or brain that seriously affects a person’s ability or behavior. Symptoms of a mental illness may include extreme moods, such as excessive sadness or anxiety, or a decreased ability to think clearly or remember well.” A mentally ill person has severe symptoms that damage the person’s ability to function in everyday activities and situations. Every nation and every economic level can be affected by a mental illness. In the United States alone about 3% of the population has severe mental illness and to add to that number about 40% of people will experience a type of mental illness at least once in their lives. Some cases of mental illnesses can go away on their own, but some cases are so severe that they require professional treatment. There is so much more available to help people recover from their symptoms than in the past.
Rusch, et al. "Mental Illness Stigma: Concepts, Consequences, And Initiatives To Reduce Stigma." European Psychiatry 20-8 (2005): 529-539. Print.
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...
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 ...
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
Stigma of Mental Illness Nearly 50% of people experience some sort of mental illness at some point in their lives. At some point in everyone’s life they will have suffered from sort of mental illness from depression to anything that affects a person’s mood. Even with the tremendous advances in the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses, the stigma surrounding mental illness still persists. For example, people with mental illness may be viewed as lazy or irresponsible, insurance companies are making it harder for the mentally ill to have insurance, and it is hard for the mentally ill to maintain a job. Most people in society view those with a mental illness as lazy or irresponsible because they do not understand the mental illness.
Stigma relates to mental illness in a discrimination form. People with mental illness is prejudge before they receive the chance to express themselves. “Social stigma is characterized by prejudicial attitudes and discriminating behaviour directed towards individuals with mental health problems as a result of the psychiatric label they have been given” (Link, Cullen, Struening & Shrout, 1989). In relation to social stigma, studies have suggested that stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental health problems are widespread and commonly held (Crisp, Gelder, Rix, Meltzer et al., 2000; Bryne, 1997; Heginbotham, 1998). “In a survey of over 1700 adults in the UK, Crisp et al. (2000) found that the most commonly held belief was that people with mental health problems were dangerous especially those with schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug dependence, people believed that
Stigma impedes recovery from mental illness and represents a burden on people with mental illness and on society. People do not have a welcoming attitude with the mentally ill. The stigma of mental illness continues to be strong and pervasive in our society, and leaves lasting effects on people with mental illness. In the article “The relationship of multiple aspects of stigma and personal contact…” it says, “the stigmatizing label of mental illness has the objective external effects of discrimination in housing, employment, and insurance coverage” (Boyd 1067). Worldwide, stigma prevents people that suffer with mental illness from taking full part in society and also affects their education, access to care, and their capacity to contribute to society.
The negative views that many have on people with mental illness or psychological disorder really need to change. So today I will be informing you on why there is a stigma, what we can do as a community to change this and what the best way to change all this negative views. There is a stigma against people that have a mental illness or psychological disorder because of all the negative information society has put out there. Many people believe that people with a mental illness are dangerous and therefore should be feared and kept out of the community. Another negative view that society has is that mental illness people are irresponsible so any decisions should be made by others.
In our society we see a huge stigma around mental health; this can be people with mental health issues, mental health professionals and mental health treatments. This stigma is circulated throughout our society with the help of the media; this includes news media, entertainments media and social media. People with mental health issues are often viewed as dangerous, violent and unpredictable. The portrayals are negative, inaccurate and can cause interpersonal harm to those being stigmatize (Fujioka, 2015.) The media and those who work with the media are shown to be insensitive to topics surrounding mental health and interacting with those who may have mental health symptoms.
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,