“There is a very large group that I think of as the silent successful—people who get well from psychiatric illness but who are afraid to speak out. This reluctance is very understandable, very human, but it is unfortunate because it perpetuates the misperception that mental illness cannot be treated.” - Kay Redfield Jamison
People that suffer from mental health issues are stigmatized. This means they are labeled as different from others, or “less than” others. Stigma was defined by Goffman as “an attribute that is deeply discrediting,” where a person is diminished “from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one.” Stigma leads to negative side effects that include social isolation, lower academic achievements, less access to treatment, and limited opportunities (Tsao, Tummala, & Roberts, 2008).
Stigma not only affects people with mental illness, but their family as well.
- Parents are often blamed for causing mental illness in their children through poor parenting.
- Children are often perceived as being somehow tainted by their parents’ mental illness.
- …Survivors of suicide, as compared with other bereaved persons, experience more guilt and less social support. (Tsao, Tummala, & Roberts, 2008, pp. 1)
“Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.” - Bill Clinton
Stigmas add barriers to recovering from mental health illnesses. There are three campaign approaches commonly used to fight stigma.
1. Protest: These campaigns try to have stigmatizing media messages withdrawn. Since media has a very powerful role in influencing public opinion, it is important that health professionals work with local media to make sure that appropriate media messages are passed on.
2. Education: These campaigns increase the knowledge of the public and provide accurate information.
3. Contact: This type of campaign involves positive interactions with people that suffer from mental illness.
All these approaches have been shown to reduce stigma. By increasing knowledge and awareness of mental health issues we can reduce the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health illnesses (Tsao et al., 2008).
This PSA was made in Canada, but all the information is very relevant to mental health everywhere.
Reference
Tsao, C. P., Tummala, A., & Roberts, L. (2008). Stigma in mental health care. Academic Psychiatry, 32(2), 70-72.
Vanessa, I thought your video was so powerful. Thank you for including this. I also really enjoyed the incorporation of quotes-- especially Bill Clinton. I'm not sure if it is just my computer, but the formatting on the lists are a little off, with some strange html jargon (just FYI). Enjoyed your PSA and still love your topic.
ReplyDelete-Katie
Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful post! I really appreciate that you addressed stigma and the impact it can have on individuals and families. The quote that you posted by Bill Clinton reminded me of a book called Daring Greatly by Brene Brown that I'm reading. In this book, she talks a lot about shame resilience and how our society strongly influences shame and stigma.
Thank you so much for your insight!
Emily
Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteI truly feel that your topic has a lot of impact, especially now. It is true that there is a negative stigma behind mental health. I have witnessed it at the workplace. A fellow coworker of mine suffered severe depression and when her condition was exposed to others, she was called "crazy." It is during times like that in her life, that my coworker needed the support of her fellow workplace cohorts. Thank you for sharing this topic.
Loan