Sociology of Mental Health - Essay Example

? SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH Sociology SIGMA AS A CORE CONCEPT IN THE CASE STUDY Introduction Chandra and Minkovitz (2007, 763-774) documented that stigma associated with mental health conditions is associated with a perception that mental health patients are dangerous, they are not socially competent, they are flawed and they are perceived as individuals with weak personalities. Stigma has always been associated with treatment, neglecting the essence of mental illness, which is help seeking behavior. Stigma has in the recent past acted as a barrier to initiating care for mentally ill individuals as evidenced in delay in help seeking behavior. With this as a genesis, this essay will be aimed at discussing stigma as a core concept discovered in the case study and relating to the diary entries. Discussion Johnstone, (2001: 200-209) documented that mental illness and individual suffering from mental illness are among the most marginalized, vulnerable, discriminated, and disadvantaged members of the society. He affirmed that negative ideologies that revolve around the disease are worse than the actual disease itself. As a form of example, he related that people with schizophrenia can be viewed as violent people with no ability to take care of themselves. Moreover, people with depression are stipulated as lazy and associated with drug abuse. The way the society perceives individuals with mental illness, limits opportunities available for the individuals suffering from mental illness. With reference to the case study, Diary 1 January 12th entry; stigma as documented by Overton & Medina (2008: 143-151) is evidenced by the individual’s lack of motivation to seek medical attention. Due to the stigma associated with depression, the individual feels reluctant and it is only following convincing, that she agrees to see the doctor. The individual distances herself from the mental illness as she says ‘the doctor said I had severe depression and gave me some meds’. She has no insight and prefers to distance herself from the reality that she has a mental illness. This can be attributed to the personal stigma that the society influences people with mental illnesses and their self-esteem. Additionally, Overton & Medina (2008: 143-151) documented that stigma in mental health has since in the past been accompanied with subjective feelings. The individual due to the stigma becomes overwhelmed with the activities going on around him that he loses touch with reality. This consequently leads to individuals feeling of isolation and distancing themselves from their loved ones and in preference associating themselves with solitaries. With reference to the case study, Diary 1 January 12th entry clearly evidences the effects of stigma in the flow of thoughts evidenced in the writing. As a beginner, the client avows that for the past few months, things were not going well and she had lost interest in her kids and the sexual relation with her partner. Loss of interest is a key symptom in patients suffering from severe depression but aggravated with stigma associated with the inability to perform tasks that were previously performed competently. The individual in the case study is aggravated by the fact that even the children and the partner are aware of her condition, evidencing the highest degree of stigma within the smallest unit of the society: family (Overton & Medina (2008: 143-151). Johnstone (2001, 200-209) with reference to the DSM IV psychiatric definition manual, stigma in mental health conditions is associated with inability of an individual to perform the activities of daily living. This interferes with individuals association with work, and in the interpersonal relationships. With reference to the case study, this is evidenced in Diary 1 March 12th entry. She asserts that she was not sure what was happening that day, but she is certain things were not okay. Her novelty speaking and impulsiveness is evidenced when she speaks with her partner and it is documented that she sounded suicidal, a precept that she does not acknowledge. This evidences that stigma associated with her mental illness impairs her communication and interpersonal relationships. Consequently, in Diary 1 March 25th entry her interpersonal relations with her boss are compromised as upon bumping into her boss, the stigma associated with mental illness inhibits her from telling her boss her situation. She however finds closure in informing her boss that she has been on holiday, a precept that shields her from admitting she is mentally ill. Social identity is one of the theories of stigma in mental health. Historically, mental health has been left to the discretion of the society and those suffering from the illness and found as a social flaw. The society perceives such people as not fit to be in the society. Just because one aspect of their personality: their mental health is impaired, the society judges the individual and views the holistic being as being at fault. Instead of focusing on the ideal identity of an individual, stigma focuses on the social identity as documented by Crawford & Brown (2002: 229-238). With reference to the case study, Diary 1 March 25th entry evidences the societal identity that stipulates the stigma attached to mental health conditions. The persona avows that when the authorities got involved, she got sectioned and was taken to some place where she spent February. The authorities despite being authority figures propagate stigma as pertains to social identity (Crawford & Brown, 2002: 229-238). Consequently, the partner portrayed social identity stigma as evidenced in the case study. This is documented in Diary 2 January 31st; to begin with, the partner voices his lack of certainty if he did the right thing. Consequently, he consoles himself by avowing that he was just worried that someone would get hurt. The partner in a form of despair seeks solace from the practitioner whom together they believe that where she is, she will get help. He however follows this by saying that the partners judgment s impaired, this affirms her resistance and disassociation from the treatment (Hazler and Mellin, 2004, 18-24). Overton & Medina, (2008: 143-151) outlined self-stigma as the second theory of stigma among mental health patients. This is where the individual is characterized with feelings of inadequacy as reduced sense of self-worth. This reduces the self-esteem and self-efficacy of the individual that finally culminates to giving up and the individual does not put any initiative in improving his or her current situation. This is evidenced in Diary 1 January 12th entry where her voices her lack of interest in life. This lack of interest is characterized by her reduced sexual interest with her partner. Lack of interest with life and even her children among depression patients is an illustration of suicidal tendencies due to the loss in meaning of life. An adverse life event pertaining to her employment is evident when she bumps into her former boss and upon asking where she has been, she responds she has been on holiday. This illustrates the stresses and the pressures she experiences from her employment and her inadequacy to find closure. Consequently in the same diary entry, lack of sexual pleasure with her partner is an illustration of effects of self-stigma by reducing the self-esteem and efficacy of an individual as documented by Overton & Medina, (2008: 143-151). The third theory of stigma associated with mental health as stipulated by Overton & Medina, (2008: 143-151) is structural stigma. This evidenced the structural barriers that exist for patients suffering from mental illnesses. This challenges their ability to hold discussions with intellect people, a chance to be heard or even an explanation for the activities they are made undergo. This is since the society as a result of reliance on stigma, believes that mentally ill people cannot be understood as they do not actually know what is happening to them. Structural stigma is evidenced throughout the diary entries in the case study. To begin with Diary 1 January 12th entry, the persona voice that the doctor told her she had severe depression. The stigma of the doctor’s structure is evident since the persona is subjective to the doctors decision, she does not feel like she is part of the diagnosis made. This probably is attributed to the fact that she was not involved in the coming up with the diagnosis. Consequently, in Diary 1 March 25th entry, the persona voices that the police did not understand her. She believes there must have been a mistake and this is translated to her lack of cooperation. The rehabilitation structure propels stigma since the persona is not even aware of what she was doing in the institution the whole of February. This leads to her loss of will to fight as she evidences in the diary. Subsequently, in Diary 2 January 12th entry, the partner to the persona evidences his doubts in the move he made. He avows that he was not sure if what he did was right. This clearly evidences that the persona was judged by the structures involved in her care (Overton & Medina, 2008, 143-151). Stigma in mental health illness is elaborated by Overton & Medina, (2008: 143-151) as a process. This process commences with an individual realization of cues that evidence that he has a mental illness. This is sequenced with the creation of stereotypes, and culminated with discrimination and prejudice to the individual with a mental illness. A cue is evidenced in the case study Diary 1 January 12th entry, by the medical diagnosis made by the doctor “severe depression.” Stereotype commence when individuals discover there is something wrong about another person. This is evidenced in the case study Diary 1 January 12th entry by the sectioning by the police officers and her former boss. Prejudice creeps in when the stereotype shows negative attitudes to the affected individual. The partner (Overton & Medina, 2008: 143-151) illustrates prejudice in Diary 2 january12th entry. Discrimination is portrayed when the persona in Diary 1 March 25th avows that she was taken to some place where she has been for the whole of February. Discrimination is also portrayed by the partner in Diary 2 January 31st entry where he consoles himself that the doctors assured him that she would get help where she was. This serves as a form of discrimination of the persona through segregation from close family member with purports of possibility of harming them. Overton & Medina, (2008: 143-151) avows that avoidance is the greatest form of discrimination exercised on a mentally ill person. Conclusion Mental health illnesses have been associated with stigma as they illustrate the affected individuals as outcasts in the society. Depression is associated with drug abuse and being lazy and the illness has its negative stigma connotations. Stigma can be social identity, self-image, or structural stigma. Stigma develops with cues that translate to stereotype, prejudice, and culminate with discrimination evidenced by avoidance. With reference to the case study foretold, all the aspects of stigma have been evidenced and hence it is a viable concept as pertains to mental illness. Since depression is curable and prevented, measures should be focused on its curative interventions and uplifting the esteem and self-worth of the affected individual to effectively abolish stigma. Stigma can only be effectively terminated if it is fought from within the individual, then will the society lack the jurisdiction of stigmatizing the individual. Bibliography Chandra, A. & Minkovitz, C. 2007, "Factors that Influence Mental Health Stigma among 8th Grade Adolescents,” Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36 (6), 763-774 Crawford, P. & Brown, B. 2002, “Like a friend going round: Reducing the stigma attached to mental health in rural communities”, Health and Social Care in the Community, 10, 229-238. Hazler, R. & Mellin, E. 2004, "The Developmental Origins and Treatment Needs of Female Adolescents with Depression", Journal of Counseling and Development: JCD, 82 (1), 18-24. Johnstone, M, J, 2001, “Stigma, social justice and the right of the mentally ill: Challenging the status quo, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 10, 200-209. Overton, S. & Medina, S. 2008, "The Stigma of Mental Illness", Journal of Counseling and Development: JCD, 86 (2), 143-151. Read More