The main aim of a clinical psychologist is to look at abnormal behavior, diagnose the mental disorders, predict the effects of mental disorderswhat could happen due to the mental disorder, explain their cause and hopefully reduce the problem using a range of different treatments. This is so they can improve the quality of life and wellbeing of their patients. However, there are many difficulties and challenges that clinical psychologists face on a daily basis that can prevent stop them from achieving this aim. In this essay I will look at what I think is one of the biggest challenges for clinical psychologists to facedo their job; stigma. According to the Oxford Dictionary, Stigma is “A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, …show more content…
The medical model is a set of procedures that all Doctors and other professionals are trained by. According to an article by Graham C.L. Davey Ph.D. in his articlecalled Mental Health & Stigma, the medical model implies that mental health problems are on a par with physical illness and may result from medical or physical dysfunction in some way. This can be deceiving to patients as mental disorders can’t simply be simply reduced to biological or medical cause. This suggests that people suffering from mental health problems are in some way ‘different’ from ‘normally’ functioning individuals (Psychology Today, …show more content…
Media is all around us, on TV, on the internet, on our smartphones, in the newspaper etc. The media is a big part of our lives which means it is very influential of our behavior. Cultivation theory and social-cognitive theory both suggest that the collective messages we see in the media and the figures we view can influence our perceptions of the word and our subsequent behavior (Maier, Gentile, Vogel & Kaplan, 2014). Social learning theory suggests we imitate the behavior of those we look up to and view as role models. This means that what the media says about mental disorders and how they are displayed on TV and in movies can influence audiences to act a certain way towards these people in real life. For example, movie depictions of schizophrenia are often stereotypical and incorrect about symptoms, causes and treatment. Owen (2012) produced an analysis of English-language movies released between 1990-2010 that depicted at least one character with schizophrenia. The analysis found that most schizophrenic characters displayed violent behaviors, one third of these violent characters engaged in homicidal behavior and a quarter committed suicide (Cited in Psychology Today, 2013). This implies that negative interpretations of schizophrenia in movies are common and are likelysure to influence the view that people with mental illness are violent and increases the stigma towards these
In his research, Wahl used the film One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest and measured the difference of his students attitudes toward mental illness before watching the movie and after. Results prior to the movie show no significant differences in attitudes towards mental illness, but after results strongly skewed towards the negative outlook on mental illness. Domino then showed a documentary of real life mental hospitals juxtaposing One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest to students who had watched One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest and those who had not. “Those who watched the movie opinions still skewed significantly towards negative attitudes, but those who had just seen the documentary were skewed towards the positive side. Thus showing the impact of the film, that is fictional severely impacted individuals to not trust reality of mental hospitals depicted in the documentary” (Wahl 348-349).
People are constantly bombarded with negative images of people with mental illness. In movies especially this is seen. Most horror movies are centered around a character with mental illness who goes unnoticed and performs horrible crimes because of their illness. People who are portrayed as being depressed, anxious, or compulsive in media are usually seen in a negative way, whereas the characters who are carefree and have no emotional problems are seen in a more positive way. Media is significantly adding to the stigma of mental health.
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.
Media Portrayal of Mental Illness in America 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 of something, the media can project into people's minds and leave a lasting impression.
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
Misunderstood with the assistance of popular stigmas and stereotypes, schizophrenia and its severity is often degraded and overlooked by the public. Wrongly feared and shunned, individuals with schizophrenia have too commonly been judged throughout human history and even today. Many aspects of the disease are failed to be truly understood and represented, from the effects of the disease to the availability of treatment. Favored by the media, incorrect and misleading portrayals of schizophrenics frequently appear in popular culture and entertainment, influencing people’s perceptions of the mental illness. Not at all rare and incredibly destructive, schizophrenia as mental illness lacks a very apparent public empathy and knowledge, a clear disadvantage and deterrent for victims of the condition.
The media make mental illness a stereotype specifically making it seem like all people with a mental illness are violent or a criminal. 61% of Americans said they believe people with schizophrenia are violent individuals. These people believe this is because of the way the media reflects the view of the disorder by using violent characters who are involved in violent events. In real life, mentally ill people are more likely to be the victims of crimes rather than the one’s committing them. Jarune Uwujaren uses the example of The Dark Knight in her article “Mental Illness: How the Media Contributes to Its Stigma”.
...ea. "Film and Mental Illness: Fetishisation, Romanticism or Misinterpretation?"Diorama. Diorama, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
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
Most people gather what they know about mental illnesses from television and film. Unfortunately these media portrayals are inaccurate and create stigma. They depict people suffering from mental illnesses as different, dangerous and laughable. Characters are often addicted to drugs or alcohol, are violent, dangerous, or out of control. Horror film characters like Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in the Shining, or Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs associate the typical 'psycho- killer' with people who suffer from a mental illness. But dramas and horror films are not the only film genres that create stigma. Comedies like What About Bob and many others not only stigmatize, they also make fun of mental illnesses and the people who suffer from them. This paper will discuss how the film Me, Myself & Irene is an inaccurate, offensive and stigmatizing portrayal of an individual suffering from schizophrenia. It also discusses what can be done to counteract the stigma created by these types of films.
Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a frightening film full of twists and turns that presents a highly dramatized depiction of mental health and psychiatric treatment. It fulfills a checklist of the classic elements of Hollywood’s psychological horror genre: foreboding asylums, psychiatric experimentation, dangerous mental afflictions, multiple personalities, intense hallucinations, and even lobotomy. The media’s portrayal of psychiatric disorders and treatment is an important contributor to the continued stigmatization of mental illness in our society. This paper will analyze which aspects of Shutter Island portray
Many recent movies contain this same concept, one of which is The Dark Knight. The most famous villain in the Batman series is The Joker. The Joker is considered a mass-murderer, a psychopathic killer, and an unstable character. Like Norman in Psycho, “…the Joker has often been casually diagnosed with schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder,” showing that through how the villain is portrayed, the viewers classify them with a certain disorder without fully being aware of what the actual symptoms of the disorder is (John Goodwin and Izzat Tajjudin). As people are classifying mental illnesses with no background information other than what is given in the movie, stereotypes for mental disorders are formed. These stereotypes vilify those who are mentally ill because they have a predetermined outlook on each illness based on a movie. Because the movies have mentally ill villains, like the Joker, the viewers will automatically think that the mentally ill are very capable at turning into a psychopathic killer. Therefore, movies like the The Dark Knight cause the viewers to believe that those who have a mental disorder can easily become monstrous due to their state of mind. The movie does not give them a chance to prove it
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.
May, C., & Post, J. (2013). Psychiatrists Have Obligation to Counter Stigmatizing Remarks. Psychiatric News. doi: 10.1176/appi.pn.2013.3b27
The mass media has played a key role in shaping people’s lives. The modern society’s use of mass media including TV, radio, newspaper, as well as print media has largely influenced people’s ideas regarding themselves and the society at large. This is evident from their behavior towards themselves and their community as well as their treatment of the environment. While some experts believe that the media is to blame for most of the negative behavioral traits among the active members of society, the majority agree that the media makes people understand and develop a positive sense of association with their society within which they live, making it easy for them to identify and get their role in it.