Why the Stigma Associated with Mental Illness - Report Example

Why is there such a stigma associated with mental illness? Introduction Mental health is generally about balance in individual thoughts, behaviour, feelings, and relationships with peers. A mental illness on the other hand, is a prolonged or severe disruption in these that has a negative influence on the normal lifestyle of an individual (Brennan, Sarnoff & Hodgins 2000, p. 494-500). There are several negative stereotypes and stigma of the mentally ill that arises perhaps from unusual human behaviour in respective people when they feel unwell or under other severe circumstances. In this paper, we look into stigma associated with mental illness. Mostly, in many communities stigma associated with mental illness has persevered over a long time now since long periods in the history of mankind. The paper dwells in answering the question why is there such a stigma associated with mental illness. Mental Illness and Stigma Brennan, Sarnoff and Hodgins (2000, p. 494-500) argued that the difference between a stigmatized and normal person was a question of perspective, rather not reality. Stigma to him was like beauty that lays on the beholder and a body of astronomical evidence supports the idea of stereotypes associated to mental illness. Stereotypes relate to selective perceptions, which place individuals in categories, exaggerating diversities between individual groups (‘them and us’) to obscure diversities within groups (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). As with the case of racial prejudice, stereotypes associated with mental illness make it easier to dismiss people, and in so doing, the people stigmatizing others maintain social distance (Moffitt, Taylor & Silva 2000, p. 979-986). Over the past centuries, many forms of stigma and discrimination have declined gradually within our societies, although there is still substantial room for improvement required in many areas (Karen 2007, p. 38–39). It has become legally and socially unacceptable in most societal settings to ridicule or discriminate against someone on the basis of their sexuality, race, religion, or a physical disability. People tend to feel uncomfortable especially when they are close to a person's behaviour that does not conform to ideal social expectations of the given group. Conversely, stigma is generally an attempt to label a specific group of people as either less worthy of respect or disregard them as not same with others (Jorm 2000, p. 396-401). It is a sign or mark of shame, disapproval or disgrace and results in discrimination or rejection. This is seen in efforts to exclude, marginalize, or exercise power over persons who are different in one way or another from others. Characteristics that associate with stigma or discrimination include mental or physical illness, physical or intellectual disability, sexuality, race, gender, or religion. Stigma may be of different types depending on the occurrence and the social setting and its prevalence may also be dependent on the same (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). Mental illness still engenders misunderstanding, fear, prejudice, and confusion about how people within the society handle the same. Some individuals with mental illness have been reporting that the stigma and discrimination are at times worse than the suffering from the illness itself (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). Persons may be less willing to offer empathy and support if someone is undoubtedly suffering from a mental illness instead of a physical health problem (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). The ones with a history of mental illness find that amongst other fellows, they become distrustful or uncomfortable around them, and that they normally lose contact with friends and family a factor that has been making the stigma prevail across many communities (Jorm 2000, p. 396-401). Other persons known to have had an illness of such kind may find it challenging and more difficult finding and securing employment or even getting a promotion, even when they are well on the time (Karen 2007, p. 38–39). Within the community, some disorders attract greater prejudice and stigma than others. A research study conducted in the United Kingdom released findings that schizophrenia, drug addiction and alcoholism attracted the most negative ratings particularly among the public, as having a high number of respondents who said that people with the respective disorders were dangerous and unpredictable (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). Regarding depression, a huge proportion of individuals showed an inaccurate and negative view of this disorder, through responding that individuals with severe depression could fundamentally 'pull themselves together (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). It was a powerful indication that stigma for the mentally ill persists in the human minds, and it was passed on from generations to the other a factor that made it difficult for it to end. Stigma in these communities stops people from enquiring assistance when they experience health difficulties because there is a tendency that they are neglected (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). The ones who become concerned on their mental health or someone they're relatives or close to may be unwilling to talk to others regarding the situation because of the stigma rooted to the extensive society in this case making the stigma stronger (Jorm 2000, p. 396-401). Often individuals do not want to accept their need for support or merely don’t know how they can raise the issue with friends, health professionals or family because of the already established behaviors and attitudes towards mental illness. Stigma associated with mental illness may also be prevalent within a society because it is linked to poor understanding of the whole issue and having no ability to relate to the experiences of the affected. People in general terms have a higher likelihood of empathizing with a person if they understand something regarding their feelings and circumstances, which has not been the case with many communities (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). The mentally ill have been sidelined for ages therefore, creating barrier and negative perceptions about them and therefore the strong, rooted stigma (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). The society has a long history of individuals distancing themselves from the ones with mental illness, by institutionalization and social isolation meaning that it is something rooted within the system and one that is not easy to compel (Rose and Mehta 2010, p. 53-59). This distance between the normal and mentally ill ensures that most individuals within the public are not familiar with the experiences of the mentally ill and therefore, succeeding in keeping the stigma for generations. There are diverse different mental illnesses that affect humans. A number of these are ideally episodic in nature: individuals have periods of being well, combined with episodes of mental illness (Patrick, Corrigan and Howard 2005, p. 544-550). As with several other ill health problems, people can have several, but different symptoms and the experience of an illness depends literally on their circumstances and personality. Because of the stigma, which associates with mental illness, many people who are unwell prefer not to tell others regarding their experiences (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). They may turn out to be withdrawn and have unexplained periods of turnover at work and absence at school because no one is there to understand them therefore, they keep the ordeal to themselves of which their situation worsens and the stigma holds strong. The stigma develops shortly after someone is diagnosed with some symptoms of mental illness. Many of these symptoms of mental illness are considered as arising from changes in the human brain’s physical functioning (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). Even with this understanding, people within and close to the individual with such symptoms associate them with abnormality. They even go to a point of socially blackmailing their families regarding them as doomed (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). This wrong understanding of mental illness is what keeps the stigma on hold and makes it stronger in the sense that the society does not give a chance to better explanations of the mental illness but brands the respective individuals as doomed (Rose and Mehta 2010, p. 53-59). People with mental illness for instance a depressive illness, are often perceived by their society as being morose, uncooperative, lazy, irritable and self-pitying. This in turn, leads to unhelpful thought and makes the stigma rooted in the minds of others, negatively branding the mentally ill people. Inadequate knowledge on Mental Illness While the relevance of information regarding physical health is acknowledged widely, society's comprehension of mental health including mental illness is far less complete (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). Research has indicated that the majority of the people cannot recognize mental disorders correctly and do not know the meaning of the respective psychiatric terms (Rose and Mehta 2010, p. 53-59). This is because there is the inadequacy in the levels of knowledge relating to mental illness and therefore, creating a negative perception and developing deep rooted stigma (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). Many people do not differentiate between the terms mental illness and mental health, which is the highest point of ignorance that supports the development of stigma (Patrick, Corrigan and Howard 2005, p. 544-550). A person with sound mental health has the ability to participate in and take pleasure in activities as well as relationships, while coping with challenges for instance personal problems, as well as working toward achieving own goals (Coleman, Walker and Lee 2009, p. 950 – 957). However, the people within the society do not have any exceptions to these normality and they take any disadvantaged person and different from them therefore, creating a disparity that results to stigma. Misconceptions regarding mental illness The stigma conversely hails within the society on the aspect of misconceptions (Marc, Scott and Michael 2004, p. 176-181). Some people consciously or unconsciously blame the people suffering from mental illness for their disease, which implies that the illness reveals character flaw or a weakness (Jorm 2000, p. 396-401). Many do not know that mental disorders are associated frequently with an underlying genetic or biological factor. What these people fail to understand is that there is an interaction between lifestyle, environment and genetics (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7They fail to accept that it is the same case with other diseases for instance asthma, heart disease and diabetes that associate with much less discrimination or even blame compared to mental illness (Jorm and Wright 2008, p. 144 – 149). There is also a misconception that a mental illness is a lifelong disorder that has hailed for a long time. People within a given society believe that people with mental illnesses have a little chance of recovery therefore, developing the stigma (Rose and Mehta 2010, p. 53-59). In fact, majority of the people within a society have the belief that the mentally ill patients are closer to death therefore, disregarding their worthiness and therefore making the stigma stronger and deep rooted. The media and stigma There have been cases where the media has been blamed as perpetuating stigma. It has been said to give the public hardly focused stories based on stereotypes (Coleman, Walker and Lee 2009, p. 950 – 957). The media have also been seen as reflecting isolation for people with mental illnesses and portraying a negative image on the same meaning that it has been under criticism as one principal reason why the stigma on mental illness continues to develop and gain strongholds (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). However, it is worth noting that the same media on a more positive note has been useful in locating and beginning the search for negative representations, as well as adverse attitudes or stigma to mental illness (Patrick, Corrigan and Howard 2005, p. 544-550), and ultimately coming up with means of handling the same. The same media have been on the frontline of supporting many campaigns, which aim at challenging and replacing the stereotypes associated with mental illness. Conclusion Mental illness is a prolonged or severe disruption in emotions, thoughts, behaviour, and feelings that have a negative influence on the normal lifestyle of an individual. There are several negative stereotypes and stigma of the mentally ill that arises perhaps from unusual human behaviour in respective people when they feel unwell or under other severe circumstances. The stigma has been upheld within the society for generations. Mental illness still engenders misunderstanding, fear, prejudice, and confusion about how people within the society handle the same. Some individuals with mental illness have been reporting that the stigma and discrimination are at times worse than the suffering from the illness itself. This is because the setting within the society has supported the stigma on mentally ill and it grows stronger by the day. Efforts to fight the same have been faced out because there are many obstacles and entrenched beliefs relating to the same. In general terms, there is still a continued belief on the differences that the stigmatized people have compared to others. Therefore, the question on why is there such a stigma associated with mental illness holds as with reasons relating to the society and the general culture entrenched in individuals within the system. References Brennan, P.A., Sarnoff, A.M. & Hodgins, S 2000, Major Mental Disorders and Criminal Violence in a Danish Birth Cohort, Archives of General Psychiatry, 57: 494-500. Coleman, J., Walker, J and Lee, B 2009, Children's Beliefs about Causes of Childhood Depression and ADHD: A Study of Stigmatization, Psychiatric Services, 60(7): 950 – 957 Crisp, H., Meltzer, H.I. & Rowland’s, J 2000, Stigmatization of people with mental illnesses, British Journal of Psychiatry, 177: 4-7 Jorm, F 2000, mental health literacy: Public knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders, British Journal of Psychiatry, 177: 396-401 Jorm, F and Wright, A 2008, Influences on young people's stigmatizing attitudes towards peers with mental disorders: national survey of young Australians and their parents, The British Journal of Psychiatry, 192(2): 144 – 149 Karen, H 2007, Reducing the Stigma of Mental Illness: A Report from a Global Programme of the World Psychiatric Association, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 16(1): 38–39 Marc, S., Scott, W., and Michael, K 2004, Stigma: the feelings and experiences of 46 people with mental illness, The British Journal of Psychiatry (2004) 184: 176-181 Moffitt, T., Taylor, P.J. & Silva, P 2000, mental disorders and violence in a total birth cohort: Results from the Dunedin Study, Archives of General Psychiatry, 57: 979-986 Patrick, W., Corrigan, D., and Howard, H 2005, How Adolescents Perceive the Stigma of Mental Illness and Alcohol Abuse, Psychiatric Services, 56:544-550 Paul, G 2006, the barriers to patient-driven treatment in mental health: Why patients may choose to follow their own path, Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 19(1), pp.11-25 Rose, A., and Mehta, N 2010, Discrimination against people with mental illness: what can psychiatrists do? 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Conversely, stigma is generally an attempt to label a specific group of people as either less worthy of respect or disregard them as not same with others (Jorm 2000, p. 396-401). It is a sign or mark of shame, disapproval or disgrace and results in discrimination or rejection. This is seen in efforts to exclude, marginalize, or exercise power over persons who are different in one way or another from others. Characteristics that associate with stigma or discrimination include mental or physical illness, physical or intellectual disability, sexuality, race, gender, or religion.

Stigma may be of different types depending on the occurrence and the social setting and its prevalence may also be dependent on the same (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). Mental illness still engenders misunderstanding, fear, prejudice, and confusion about how people within the society handle the same. Some individuals with mental illness have been reporting that the stigma and discrimination are at times worse than the suffering from the illness itself (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). Persons may be less willing to offer empathy and support if someone is undoubtedly suffering from a mental illness instead of a physical health problem (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). The ones with a history of mental illness find that amongst other fellows, they become distrustful or uncomfortable around them, and that they normally lose contact with friends and family a factor that has been making the stigma prevail across many communities (Jorm 2000, p. 396-401). Other persons known to have had an illness of such kind may find it challenging and more difficult finding and securing employment or even getting a promotion, even when they are well on the time (Karen 2007, p. 38–39). Within the community, some disorders attract greater prejudice and stigma than others.

A research study conducted in the United Kingdom released findings that schizophrenia, drug addiction and alcoholism attracted the most negative ratings particularly among the public, as having a high number of respondents who said that people with the respective disorders were dangerous and unpredictable (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). Regarding depression, a huge proportion of individuals showed an inaccurate and negative view of this disorder, through responding that individuals with severe depression could fundamentally 'pull themselves together (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). It was a powerful indication that stigma for the mentally ill persists in the human minds, and it was passed on from generations to the other a factor that made it difficult for it to end.

Stigma in these communities stops people from enquiring assistance when they experience health difficulties because there is a tendency that they are neglected (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). The ones who become concerned on their mental health or someone they're relatives or close to may be unwilling to talk to others regarding the situation because of the stigma rooted to the extensive society in this case making the stigma stronger (Jorm 2000, p. 396-401). Often individuals do not want to accept their need for support or merely don’t know how they can raise the issue with friends, health professionals or family because of the already established behaviors and attitudes towards mental illness.

Stigma associated with mental illness may also be prevalent within a society because it is linked to poor understanding of the whole issue and having no ability to relate to the experiences of the affected. People in general terms have a higher likelihood of empathizing with a person if they understand something regarding their feelings and circumstances, which has not been the case with many communities (Crisp, Meltzer & Rowland’s 2000, p.4-7). The mentally ill have been sidelined for ages therefore, creating barrier and negative perceptions about them and therefore the strong, rooted stigma (Paul 2006, p. 11-25). The society has a long history of individuals distancing themselves from the ones with mental illness, by institutionalization and social isolation meaning that it is something rooted within the system and one that is not easy to compel (Rose and Mehta 2010, p. 53-59).

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