Abstract
Mental health patients suffer from a lot of societal discrimination and stigmatization because society has been cultured to believe they are dangerous and not good enough to integrate normally with the rest of the society. Many are the times when they are pushed to feel inadequate. They end up suffering in silence and many would rather they kept their conditions a secret for fear of stigmatization. The media has always portrayed them as dangerous and that has led the rest of the society to fear them. These patients often suffer in silence and hide from the rest of the society and that is often detrimental to their recovery. Many become depressed and suffer from low self esteem. The sad reality is nobody seems to care about them, instead everyone is in constant fear of the dangerous activities they are perceived to engage in; forgetting that society often pushes them to the limits of their anger and frustrations.
Introduction
Lots of people who are mentally challenged face twice as much as any other group of people battling with disabilities. That is true considering that they have to deal with the inadequacies they have to live with their condition, as well as, dealing with societal stereotypes and prejudice that is directed at then due to misconceptions. In many ways, people suffering from mental illnesses get robbed of opportunities that the rest of the society enjoys, that include a good and comfortable life, access to jobs, good healthcare and even interaction with a diverse group of people (Scheyett, 2005). Stigmatization occurs when members of society develop attitudes and misconceptions about their condition and thus end up being treated as different from everyone else. Unfortunately, society stigmatizes them and fears interacting with them thus making them aware of their inadequacies. One could have expected that they get embraced for who they are and receive communal help and care, but the opposite is true. Stereotyping and prejudice end up causing stigmatization and that in the long run has an effect on their self-esteem, thereby hampering the recovery process.
Misconceptions about Mental Illness that Lead to Stigmatization
There are many societal themes that characterize misconceptions about mental illness. The media and public have always had an attitude developed about mental illness. The most prominent of these misconceptions surround the behaviors of these patients. In most cases, it is assumed that mentally ill patients are suicidal, homicidal and that they should be feared and treated at an arm’s length (Byrne, 2000). Another section of the population thinks they are not independent minded and that they behave like children and, therefore, should be followed up at all times (Scheyett, 2005). Also, there are people who believe they are responsible for their condition, and they take full blame because theirs is more of a punishment than an illness (Scheyett, 2005). Thus, they are regarded as people who should be feared and isolated at all times because they can wreak havoc and cause a lot of public disturbance. Members of their inner circle of friends and family tend to make decisions for them even when they are better positioned to decide what is or is not good for them. Unfortunately, they are often controlled as if they do not have power over their lives.
Literature Review
Mental health stigma comprises of attitudes and perceptions that society directs towards patients with mental health problems as well as the attitudes these patients have towards themselves as a result of how they see society treat them. The attitudes of society help shape the attitudes of an individual and depending on the severity of these attitudes, the results are often reflected in the attitudes of the mental health patients. The media has further pushed the stereotyping of mentally ill patients to worse situations because it influences the way people think and treat these patients. It is astonishing to find out that society does not take its time to determine whether a patient is dangerous or not, all that happens is that they make judgments about these patients depending on the general worldview even when it is misleading.
During ancient times, mental illnesses were seen as a punishment from supernatural beings, and thus any mental health patient could be considered an outcast. By the 5th century, a Greek physician named Hippocrates sought to demystify these superstitions and in their place placed forth an argument that explained how mental illness was a condition emanating from natural occurrences in the human body (Dingfelder, 2009). In the middle ages, mental illness was seen as a general imbalance of the brain. In the 17th century, this topic of stigmatization gained a lot of attention. That included the disapproval or victimization of mental health persons in and around the places where they lived, in public places such as schools and hospitals not forgetting even at the family level. By the start of the 20th century, contemporary notions about mental illness arose, and society became more sensitive about this issue especially when different people started the production of concoctions that were tried out as medicine (Scheyett, 2005).
It has always been believed that people suffering from mental health illness are hard to relate with or even have a close relationship. It does not matter the ages of the members of society but then everyone holds some beliefs about how these people should or should not be treated. In recent times, other conditions such as schizophrenia have been discovered and in as much as they are mild mental illnesses, people tend to keep a distance to be safe just in case something happens (Byrne, 2000). Studies indicate that because people with mental illnesses can be unpredictable sometimes, the negative attitudes directed at them might not change now or anytime soon.
Body
Sources of Stigmatization
It is surprising that people who hold beliefs about how people with mental health problems are the very people they live with and who these patients are supposed to count on and trust. Age does not matter because everyone is always sensitive about their personal safety (Sheyett, 2005). For instance, the stigma that is associated with children and teenagers always arises from members of the family, school, peers and any other member of society who is close to the patient. That is especially true because close family members and friends have the tendency of passing unwarranted assumptions about the patient, lack of trust, pity and even gossip in their presence (Byrne, 2000). Social rejection might also occur in cases where the patient might want to relate to the people they come into contact with in their lives. The most frustrating thing is that stigma directed at them is so explicit that they have to painstakingly bear with it. For the elderly patients, some of them have to deal with a lot of negativity from their families, doctors, and neighbors. Most of them loose friends along the way and that makes them feel very bad about themselves, thus resorting to keeping to themselves and suffering emotionally and mostly in silence.
Any stigma that is associated with mental health illness has several causes. History has it that patients with mental health problems have always received raw treatment; many are excluded from society while others are even brutalized. But one needs to understand the cause of all that negativity. The first and most general cause comes from prejudice and stereotyping by other members of society (Scheyett, 2005). That is especially true considering that society assumes that patients with mental illnesses are violent or brutal (Dingfelder, 2009). But that is not applicable to all patients because indeed there are those that might turn out to be brutal but then there are those that are not brutal. Such generalizations that tend to make these patients look different or special worsens the stigma because even if some are violent, they are not violent all the time. By and large, stigmatization is caused by the attitudes and unwarranted assumptions and judgments that are made by society.
Effects of Stigmatization on Patients and Society
Stigmatization has always been a barrier to the recovery of patients, and it is as harsh and painful to them as the condition itself. It is imperative to note that stigmatization and discrimination go hand in hand. It is for that reason that people with mental illness would rather their lied about missing out on work or something rather than admit that they are sick and that they might have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Many would rather they avoided negative perceptions from the public or even strangers because they know what will follow their admission (Byrne, 2000). They are always in constant fear; they end up being liars just for their safety. That means they will live a lie, fearing what will happen when people get to know their condition. In many situations these patients develop feelings of inadequacy and that may be as painful as the sickness itself
Out of fear of stigmatization, many mentally ill patients find it difficult to come out and admit they are sick, and that hampers their ability to seek help at an early stage. They know they will be stigmatized if they admit that they are sick because they have witnessed what the public thinks and feels about others who have been sick (Dingfelder, 2009). When they keep their problem to themselves, there is a high likelihood that they will not seek medical attention in time, and that may lead to their condition worsening (Byrne, 2000). Also, they will develop self-stigmatization considering the public will have made them feel as though they are not normal members of their communities. In the long run, their delayed acknowledgment of their problem will lead to a worse situation because some of them might never admit their condition and seek medical intervention at all. That might cost them their lives, let alone their happiness for the period they are alive.
It is no doubt that structural stigma comes about when social and institutional policies present major barriers that hinder mentally ill patients from integrating with society as well as seeking medical attention. It is the society that will influence these patients to seek help or not to depending on how society treats their condition (Byrne, 2000). But it goes without saying that society has developed myths and structural policies and practices that out rightly put question marks on the inabilities or capabilities of these patients. Society has a tendency to formulate cultures that determine behaviors that are acceptable or not. All the unacceptable characters and attributes are regarded as wrong and if they are committed then one is liable to face negative consequences. They forget that pushes discrimination to a new level considering that mentally ill patients may commit some of these cultural wrongs not out of their volitions. That pushes them further into isolation, but some become more defensive and are pushed to mental health institutions because society feels they fit there.
It is imperative to note that stigma and discrimination has a negative effect on social work that targets these patients. No social worker would want to get close to a mentally ill patient for fear of being harmed by them (Byrne, 2000). That, in the long run, affects the care and attention given to mentally ill patients. It is worth noting that many of these patients know very well that society fears them and that even social workers attending to their needs are in constant fear of them. Sometimes they are forced to put up an act so as not to scare the social workers, they do not come out clean about their condition, and that might not give the right diagnosis (Byrne, 2000). But when a social worker has their one foot in the room and the other outside; it becomes difficult for them to attend fully to these patients. If the very people who are supposed to help them fear them, then nothing good is expected to come out of their situation. That in itself pushes them further away from a normal functioning society.
Role of Society in Propagating Stigma
The media has always played a critical role in the shaping of public opinions and influencing society. The media always paints a negative image of mentally ill persons by presenting them as rough, dangerous and even unpredictable (Dingfelder, 2009). Society will then view them as such and avoid them because no one will want to stay up close with anyone who might harm them at any time. It is common to find news articles or stories that sensationalize the public about the violence incurred by mentally ill patients. Furthermore, this news makes it to the headlines, that makes people see these issues as such a big deal, and that further raises anxiety about the mentally ill patients (Dingfelder, 2009). On the contrary, there are far fewer news stories that will feature mentally ill patients in a positive light. These negative stories lead the public to believe that indeed mentally ill patients are dangerous and should be treated as different from the rest of the society.
The wider society is often sensitive about people who have various disabilities or challenges. Due to the fear that many have about mentally ill patients, they help propagate that stigma because their negativity is passed from one person to another through socialization (Byrne, 2000). Once people have been socialized to believe these patients are dangerous, everyone, will believe in that and start treating them as a special category of people that should be avoided most of the time. Public misperceptions and fear are sometimes used to justify the bullying of mentally ill patients (Scheyett, 2005). It is not surprising to find mentally ill patients being denied opportunities other citizens enjoy; many are the times when they are forced to give up on their dreams because they have been made to believe they are not worth public appreciation. It is imperative to note that as long as society sees them as different or dangerous, the stigma will last, and that will have a negative impact on their lives, families and friends.
Stigma is a major barrier that hinders the recovery of mentally ill patients. Through it, many of them are constantly reminded of their medical challenges and thus become very defensive. Some even fear coming out because society will treat them as different, thus, they do not seek medical attention in time for fear of stigmatization (Dingfelder, 2009). The sad reality is that society never stops for a moment to think about what these patients go through because if they did, then there could not be stigmatization and stereotyping of their conditions as the situation is in the present day. These patients will never lead a satisfying life because the public constantly reminds them of their problems because they are always treated as different from the rest of the society (Scheyett, 2005). But then there is so much that can be done to put this to an end, and it all starts with people stopping to stereotype, trivialize and even patronizing these patients.
Conclusion
Many mentally ill patients are living in the shadows because they fear being discriminated by the rest of the society. There is a major problem in as far as their condition is concerned because they are often misunderstood by society. There are quite some misconceptions that have been developed by society, and that has led to them being treated as different and dangerous. These myths have led them to feel isolated and neglected for a very long time. Society is often in the middle of all the problems they encounter. In most cases, they are made to battle with stigma from within and from the rest of the society. It is imperative to note that they could be having their problems that are unique to only them, but the media and society have made it impossible for them to come to terms with their problems and seek help just like any other group that battles disabilities. It is only right that people stopped being overly sensitive about what might or might not happen when they are in the presence of a patient suffering from mental illness!
References
Byrne, P. (2000). Stigma of Mental Illness and Ways of Diminishing It. Advances in psychiatric Treatment.6: 65- 72.Web.http://www.heart intl.net/HEART/100507/StigmaofMental.htm
Dingfelder, S. F. (2009). Stigma.Alive and Well.American psychological Association.Web. Retrieved on 25th February 2016 http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/06/stigma.aspx
Scheyett, A. (2005). The Mark of Madness: Stigma, Serious mental Illness and Social Work. Social Work in Mental Health. Vol. 3, Issue 4. (79- 97). Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis
