Society perception towards people with mental health illness - Thesis Proposal Example

Perceptions and misconceptions regarding people with mental health disabilities. The moniker of having a mental illness has always had different connotations in our society. People have seen this status in different ways through out history. The image of people with mental illnesses range from demonic possession, to attitude problems, and so on, but in modern society, these images and ideas take interesting turns. Some consider these people affected by mental illnesses to be enrichments to their lives, as they give certain people the chance to express their caring and nurturing natures, while others see these people as hindrances to normal living.

We can try to look at other societies in order to get a good contrast of the situation. Take for example the status of this issue in the village of Karif, Nigeria. A study was done to get a glimpse of the perception of that village’s adult population regarding people with mental illnesses. This study found that majority of their adult population still had negative feelings toward mentally ill people. This shows us that in their situation, the trend still points in the negative direction. This may be due to lack of education as well, as the study also concluded that education methods may need to be implemented in order to lessen this negative stigma.

Another way to look at it is by observing how mentally ill people are portrayed in popular culture. We can work on the premise that “art imitates life” for this technique. By looking at how they are portrayed in movies, books, and television shows, we can get a small look at how most populations either view them or how they are influenced to view them. Although their portrayal may differ depending on the type of entertainment medium, such as drama, action or comedy, we can still collate them and get a bearing.

A paper by indicates that there may be a negative type of connotation in popular culture. It goes on to say “ Negative images of mental health recipients are so common in movies and on television that the publics perception of mental illness is one of fear and paranoia” This also had another negative effect in that these media sources have a potential to affect how people perceive mentally ill people. This paper will focus on this issue of negative connotations and stigma for people with mental illnesses.

It will aim to collect information regarding how a certain population feels about mentally ill people, how they got this perception, and then, will conclude by presenting the data gathered and suggest a course of action to take in order to lessen the negative ideas and connotations regarding mentally ill people. This research will use a survey method that will focus on a certain number of people within a given area, and within a given age group. There will be an equal number of male and female respondents in order to lessen the variables of study.

They will be asked to complete a few questions related to people with mental health. Afterwards, the results will be tallied, averaged, compared and analyzed. These results will be the basis for the papers conclusion and recommendation. ResourcesCorrigan, P.W. & Watson, A.C. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, (2002) Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness, Retrieved October 14/2011 from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1489832/Euclidhospital.org, (2002) Common Misconceptions About Mental Illness, Retrieved October 14/2011 from: Http://www.

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