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Anna CarterWilliamsHonors American Literature17 February 2015What does the stigma attached to mental illness create?Throughout history, mental disorders have affected people of all races and ages and remain a topic of worldwide discussion. Mental disorders are defined as “health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning” (“Mental Disorders”). The illness itself and the stigma attached to it influence the welfare of the person with said illness and the welfare of society. These stigmas are created by a comparison to physical illness and accepted by an unknowing society.In human history, people have been persecuted for having mental disorders, which has led to negative attitudes about mental illness. For example, “in some African countries, traditional supernatural belief systems may lead to negative and hazardous responses to mental illness” (Lyons and McLoughlin). The entrenched stigmas are harmful to the person because others’ responses affect how they behave. It then becomes harmful to a community because one person’s behavior can affect everyone in it. Separation is also a form of a hazardous response because “for hundreds of years, people with severe mental disorders were put in prisons, poorhouses, or special institutions meant to segregate them from everyone else” (“Mental Disorders”). This led to people knowing less and less about the mentally ill and creating negative ideas out of fear of what they did not know. One of those ideas is that “people exhibiting bizarre or dangerous behaviors were believed to be witches or possessed by evil spirits” (“Mental Disorders”). These extreme cases of mental illness became connected with evil and the devil. From there all of these negative stereotypes and ideas entrenched themselves into today’s society.Mental illness indiscriminately affects people in society. It is estimated “that 40 percent of Americans will experience a mental disorder at some point in their lives” (“Mental Disorders”). This means that 40 percent of Americans will most likely experience the effects of the stigma connected with mental illness. “Children and adolescents suffer from mental disorders as well; an estimated 9 to 13 percent of children between the ages of nine and seventeen suffer from a mental or emotional disorder that disrupts daily functioning”(“Mental Disorders”). These children have to deal with the shame linked with their mental disorder during their developmental years. This can prolong their mental illness and even make it worse if they resist seeking treatment because of it. “Not wanting to be viewed as weak, strange, or dangerous, the mentally ill often avoid seeking the assistance that might label them as social outcasts” (Williams). For children, the stigma of being viewed as social outcasts could work adversely with treatment. “In one British survey, 87 percent of people treated for mental illness said the stigma and bias had negatively affected their lives” (Graham-Bailey). For the mentally ill around the world, the stigma affiliated with mental disorders is biased against them. Not seeking treatment is just one problem caused by the stigma associated with mental disorders. In fact, if those with mental illnesses resist seeking treatment because of the shame connected with it, it creates problems for society. Resisting treatments can be detrimental to a person, especially “untreated conditions can have consequences as serious as suicide” (Graham-Bailey). One of the major problems is homelessness. “People with untreated mental illnesses comprise about 1/3 of America’s estimated homeless population,” and “there are more people with untreated psych illnesses on America’s streets than in mental hospitals”(“Mental Disorders”). Crime is another pressing issue linked to mental illness. It has been found that “people with mental illnesses are eleven times more likely to be victims of violent crime” (“Mental Disorders”). This shows that there is a serious prejudice against those with psychiatric disorders. On the other hand, “People who commit crimes often have some form of mental disorder, ranging from impulse control problems to schizophrenia” (“Mental Disorders”) and many times, the crimes that are committed by the mentally ill involve violence. That being said “we know from many studies that 50% of manic episodes are characterized by at least one act of physical violence” (Jamison). In society, “mental illness has carried a stigma that physical illness does not” (“Mental Disorders”). With such stigma, comes the discussion of treatment options. One issue in the mental parity debate is that health insurance plans do not provide the same coverage for psychological disorders as they do for physical illness treatments (“Mental Disorders”). This is a problem because it shows the mentally ill and society that they don’t matter as much as people with a visible or tangible illness. This leads to more stereotyping and stigmatization of the mentally ill.Another issue facing those with mental disorders is social interactions. The mentally ill are afraid of how people will view if they divulge their condition. In a survey, “people with mental disorders were commonly reported as “hard to talk with”, “feeling different” from others, and “unpredictable” (Lyons and McLoughlin). These descriptions cause those with such illnesses to fear what society thinks of them, further shaming them into silence. They also fear how the stigma attached to them will compare to the stigma attached to other situations. For example, “ a study showed 30 percent of people said admitting a mental illness would be tough, but only 20 percent though coming out as gay would be hard” (Graham-Bailey). This comparison to a known shamed topic just adds more fear. One of the several dominant problems created by the stigma associated with mental illness is the perception society has of the mentally ill. In today’s culture, “many people perceive mental illness as a form of personal weakness, as a devastating disgrace, or as potentially dangerous” (Williams). This false perception is created by and continues the negative ideas surrounding mental disorders. Others such as “ Richard E Vatz, associate editor of USA Today magazine, published by the Society for the Advancement of Education, believes that stigma plays an important role in preventing phony or frivolous claims of mental illness” (Williams). While this opinion will prevent some deceptive claims, the stigma also creates some phony assertions. These claims come from people looking for attention and unneeded treatment or drug abuse. Some people like Les Campbell, a volunteer with the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, know a more in depth concept of mental illness. This volunteer says:Out of our fear of the unknown, the mentally ill are reduced in our minds from potentially valuable citizens to tainted eccentrics at best and fearsome maniacs at worst. In years past, they were chained, straitjacketed and hidden away from hospitals. When one escapes, it is too often reported, ‘somewhere, homeless on the on the streets… is a dangerous psychotic’ (Williams).Opinions like this, that are more positive, represent how the mentally ill wish that the public would view their situation. If more people had this viewpoint, there would be less and less stigmatization throughout the world. Though there are many difficulties, this is a problem that can be fixed. Many believe that “research is the greatest destigmatizer” (Jamison). Research alone isn’t enough. Education is the real key to debunking these negative ideas. With education being an important part of de-stigmatizing mental illness, what is being taught is also very important. Les Campbell believes that if health-education classes in high schools included more precise intelligence about psychiatric disorders, others might feel less uncomfortable if they or a loved one developed a mental illness (Williams). Another way to diffuse the shame of mental illness is “to choose your words carefully when talking about mental illnesses. Turning medical terms into insulting slang (“psycho” or “schizo”) is hurtful to people coping with mental illness” (Graham-Bailey). In order to break this trend, it is better to use the actual name of the disorder. If you don’t know it, terms such as “mental illness” and “mental health condition” are acceptable (Graham-Bailey).Throughout time, those with mental illness have been discriminated against and viewed as less than human. Homelessness, crime, social situations, and the comparison to physical illness contribute to how people have viewed and continue to view those with mental disorders. Society’s attitudes towards mental illness affect how the mentally ill view themselves and lead to them stigmatizing themselves. With that, those with psychiatric disorders resist treatment, creating a never ending cycle of being stigmatized, stigmatizing themselves, and resisting treatment.Works Cited"Mental Disorders." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.Graham-Bailey, Marona. "No Shame, no Blame: Shattering the Myths about Mental Illnesses." Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication Apr.-May 2010: 18+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.Jamison, Kay Redfield. "The Stigma of Mental Illness Must Be Overcome." Mental Health. Ed. Ann Quigley. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2007. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "The Many Stigmas of Mental Illness." The Lancet (11 Feb. 2006). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.Lyons, Declan, and Declan M. McLoughlin. "Psychiatry. (Recent advances)." British Medical Journal 24 Nov. 2001: 1228+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.Williams, Mary E., Ed."Introduction to Mental Illness: Opposing Viewpoints." Mental Illness. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. ................
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