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Mental health stigma and labelling
Mental health stigma and labelling
How stigma affects mental health patients
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Marginalized groups are easy to identify, but why are groups of people so obviously identified as separate still not accepted into modern society? These groups of people are not, unfortunately, anything new to society. Groups singled out from the whole have always been apparent within society; however, the marginalized groups change with the time. I feel that that those who have a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness of any type are often marginalized in modern society. Like any marginalized group, no one can understand what the marginalized person truly feels like on a day-to-day basis unless they were that person. Obviously, this is impossible. For the rest of society, individuals have a hard time understanding why those with mental
through the illness not being identified as an illness, is a social stigma and inadequate
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.
I can see this very clearly in my own life. My younger brother sufferers from an extreme anxiety disorder called Asperger’s. This disorder is on the same spectrum as Autism it is just at the very end of the spectrum making it a less extreme case. It has always been apparent even at a young age that he was different. The only problem is that he doesn’t look any different than the other kids his age. Strangers he meets expect him to act and react just as a normal kid would, but he can’t. My father’s side of the family hard a very hard time understanding my brother’s disorder. They didn’t see it as a disorder. They thought he would just get over it, that he was being weak. It took a lot of convincing and research to prove to them that what was affecting my brother wasn’t a thought process or a weakness, there was something mentally wrong with him. He doesn’t receive help and attention at school as the kids with physical aliments or disorders with physical symptoms like ADHD. It is easy to see that those kids need help, but it wasn’t until we got my brother tested in the second grade that he began to receive help. We had to prove to the schools he was different in order for him to get the attention he needed. On the other hand of the argument, the people with brain injuries or disease get more help because it is obvious there is something wrong with them.
Contrary to what most probably think there is not always much difference between normal and stigmatized people. After all we are all susceptible to a sudden physical stigma or the removal of a physical stigma (Goffman, 1963, p. 132). Some people are also able to deviate from the social norms without being classified as stigmatized (Marley, 2008).
Majority of individuals with severe mental health disorder are faced with double challenges. On one hand, they battle with the signs, symptoms, mark and defects associated with the disease. On the other hand, they are faced with stigma, stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice as a result of mental health misconception. Hence, individuals with mental health diseases are deprived quality life opportunities such as good job, stable income, and relationships (Corrigan et al, 2000). There are basically two types of stigma, namely; public and self-stigma. Public stigma as to do with how the general population responds to individuals with mental health illness. While self-stigma is the preconceived notion which mental health patients use against themselves (Corrigan et al, 2000). Evidence show that magnanimous percentage of United State citizens and several European countries all indulge in mental health stigmatization (Phelan et al, 2000; Madianos et 1987). Furthermore, Effective strategies to reduce public stigma are classified in three processes; protest, education and contact (Corrigan & Penn, 1999). Studies show that engaging in mental health education programs led to
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.
As a student, practice is crucial to learn group therapy techniques. In order to achieve these practices, I attended 2 support groups of the same topic. Observation and attendance constructs an idea of how group therapy works. Attending this group was important because of the profoundness of its meaning and experiences I have witnessed.
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.
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
Why is there a cloud of judgment and misunderstanding still surrounding 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. There are many ways in which the mentally ill are degraded and shamed.
Upon noticing an individual exhibiting a mental disorder, do you establish them as crazy, sociopathic or murderous? Or would you consider them being rather gentle, perfectly acceptable humans in our modern day society? Having to believe that they are outcasts in our society would bring up the well-known stereotypes, which classify them as having mental disorders. Not only are mental disorders looked upon differently but are also not easily accepted into today’s society. In fact, almost every mental disorder has a stereotype behind it, making it hard for many people to apprehend it. Ones that have minimum knowledge about these human afflictions choose to have negative opinions regarding them. Therefore people are easily lured into the assumptions of these disorders being adverse. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and personality disorders are a mere selection of the many stereotyped mental disorders that are viewed upon as fugitive amidst the norm of society, personally I believe that they should be treated as normal human beings.
...rom mental illness shouldn’t live within the community. Research has shown that the stigma and misconceptions associated with psychosocial disabilities often result in people being disliked from their community (Henderson et al. 2013, p. 78).
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
“Negative attitudes to people with mental illness cause disadvantage in their personal relations and public activities” (Social Policy Research & Disability Studies. 2011). There are a number of policies across Australia, which are designed to improve society’s attitudes towards people with disabilities. One example was during Mental Health Week the NSW Consumer Advisory Group ran a campaign to “challenge the stigma and discrimination faced by people experiencing mental illness” (Social Policy Research & Disability Studies. 2011). The intervention included people talking about their personal experiences and how it affected them. Projecting this information to an audience, created a wider understanding for people on what it is like to live with the disease (cognitive component). For people to understand what living with the disease is like, it may alter their opinions and assist them to overcome their own attitudes towards the mental
Social and financial disadvantages are common among people with mental a disorder and have great impact on their quality of life. However, these disadvantages are not the only hardship that they have to face in their daily life. In fact, stigma and discrimination against people with mental a disorder can be worse than the mental health condition itself. They are a big barrier in the rehabilitation process and the journey towards life chances of these individuals. Public stigma, self-stigma and discriminatory behaviours all contribute to the daily struggles and build on top of the pre-existing challenges that they face in dealing with their mental health condition.