Stigma and Mental Illnesses

Stigma refers to a cluster of negative attitudes and beliefs that motivate the general public to fear, reject, avoid, and discriminate against people with mental illnesses. Stigma leads others to avoid living, socializing, or working with, renting to, or employing people with mental disorders —especially severe disorders, such as schizophrenia. It leads to low self-esteem, isolation, and hopelessness. It deters the public from seeking and wanting to pay for care. Responding to stigma, people with mental health problems internalize public attitudes and become so embarrassed or ashamed that they often conceal symptoms and fail to seek treatment.Stigma is a reality for people with a mental illness, and they report that how others judge them is one of their greatest barriers to a complete and satisfying life. Society feels uncomfortable about mental illness. It is not seen like other illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. Due to inaccuracies and misunderstandings, people have been led to believe that an individual with a mental illness has a weak character or is inevitably dangerous. Mental illness can be called the invisible illness. Often, the only way to know whether someone has been diagnosed with a mental illness is if they tell you. The majority of the public is unaware of how many mentally ill people they know and encounter every day.

Why does stigma still exist?
Unfortunately, the media is responsible for many of the misconceptions which persist about people with mental illnesses. Newspapers, in particular, often stress a history of mental illness in the backgrounds of people who commit crimes of violence.
Newspapers, in particular, often stress a history of mental illness in the backgrounds of people who commit crimes of violence. Television news programs frequently sensationalize crimes where persons with mental illnesses are involved.
Comedians make fun of people with mental illnesses, using their disabilities as a source of humor. Also, national advertisers use stigmatizing images as promotional gimmicks to sell products.
Ironically, the media also offers our best hope for eradicating stigma because of its power to educate and influence public opinion.
Common Misconceptions About Mental Illness
Myth: some of the mental disorders are caused by evil spirits
Fact: mental illnesses are caused as a result of disturbed /altered functioning of brain.The possible etiology of the funtional disturbance of brain include imbalance in neurochemical equilibrium of brain,environmental factors and genetic factors
Myth: "People who need psychiatric care should be locked away in institutions."
Fact: Today, most people can lead productive lives within their communities thanks to a variety of supports, programs, and/or medications.
Myth: "A person who has had a mental illness can never be normal."
Fact: People with mental illnesses can recover and resume normal activities. For example, Mike Wallace of "60 Minutes", who has clinical depression, has received treatment and today leads an enriched and accomplished life.
Myth: "Mentally ill persons are dangerous."
Fact: The vast majority of people with mental illnesses are not violent. In the cases when violence does occur, the incidence typically results from the same reasons as with the general public such as feeling threatened or excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs.
Myth: "People with mental illnesses can work low-level jobs but aren’t suited for really important or responsible positions."
Fact: People with mental illnesses, like everyone else, have the potential to work at any level depending on their own abilities, experience and motivation.
How You Can Combat stigma:
1 Share your experience with mental illness. Your story can convey to others that having a mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed about.
2 Help people with mental illness reenter society. Support their efforts to obtain housing and jobs.
3 Respond to false statements about mental illness or people with mental illnesses. Many people have wrong and damaging ideas on the subject. Accurate facts and information may help change both their ideas and actions.

various measures to abolish stigma attached to mental illnesses
1.Health education by means of mass communication:
(i) print media:newspapers and magazines are stil one of the most effective means of fighting stigma associated to mental illnesses.they not only inform but also educate people about various aspects of mental illnesses.print media educate people via following means
(a) publishing disorder specific information as an article.
(b)publishing interviews with experts.
(c)publishing quiries and their solutions regarding mental illnesses as asked by people and as answered by experts.
(ii)electronic media: in the contemprary world,electronic media is undoubtedly the most effective medium to spread any information among vast population.electronic media are not only immensly popular but also they reach the largest section of our population.unlike print media,one need not to be literate to understand the information given by ita single radio set or a television can inform the whole family about a perticular disorder .one the same side,it also provides the informatin in much more impressive and entertaining manner.(Amitabh and Shahrukh can convince more people to vaccinate against polio than the most glossy page of a newspaper or magazine)
2.Role of films:from time to time cinema has raised various social issues .although it doesnt educate people directly but it influence the viewers' thinking strikingly.many of the movies have the central character suffering from a psychiatric disorder who is shown being treated succussfully by appropriate family support ,counselling and medication(khamoshi,sailab etc to name a few).
3.health communication by role playing:theaterical arts are effective means of health education among folks.dramas,street-plays,nautankis etc are various forms of role playing which are bieng used effectively to reduce stigmas associated with mental disorders.
4.health communication by means of folk songs:a huge majority of patients belongs to rulal population which is not only under previlaged but also is minimally aware and educated about mental disorders.folk songs and other folk performing arts are hugely popular in rural areas .lots of people gather either to participate in them or to enjoy them as spectators.therefore folk performing arts are very effective in spreading message and awareness regarding mental disorders.here,villagers are eudcated about the signs/symptoms and proper management of mental diorders in very entertaining way.as the artists are local people ,the messages spread by them is excepted instantly by the people.
5.role of NGOs:Many NGOs have community-based programmes, and effective collaboration between the mental health sector and the NGO sector could help improve access to mental healthcare.
Masum, an NGO working with rural women in Maharashtra , has decided to integrate mental health issues in all its programmes. Its staff were trained to detect clinical depression in the community and in basic listening and communication skills. All staff were trained to assess the risk of suicide. A smaller proportion of the staff (approximately 20) were trained in specific psychotherapeutic methods and a basic understanding of psychiatric disorders. They also have access to a psychiatrist who is mainly involved in training and supervision.