Kaitlyn O’Gorman
Dr. Foss
9 April 2019
ENGL 384
Mental Health and Stigma
The five major categories of mental health conditions are anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders and dementia. While each of these conditions is unique and each carries varying degrees of hardship, one commonality is that all of these conditions are invisible. Depending on the degree of severity an individual could be battling their condition every day without anyone being the wiser. Other battles are harder, some individuals require more assistance than others and that is fine too. No matter the condition, be it clinical depression or schizophrenia, the stigma associated with mental health never fails to rear its ugly head. While society is becoming increasingly more comfortable with formerly controversial topics, we have yet to learn how to treat people with mental health conditions like people. This paper will serve as an informative piece to help bring awareness of the true facts about mental illness and how as a community we can help dissolve the mental health stigma, normalize mental health, and as a result eliminate undue stress for those with mental health conditions.
When a person is born with a physical health condition that condition can be seen and is identified. The affected individual then receives the proper care and treatment. People with physical disabilities such as missing a leg or being paralyzed from the waist down are often seen as warriors, individuals strong enough to live normal lives while having to depend on a prosthetic or wheelchair. A person born with a mental illness, however, does not show immediate signs and symptoms of their condition. These ailments often lie dormant, undiagnosed, and unseen; therefore the condition is untreated. The afflicted goes through their childhood and teen years coping with what they assume is normal everyday strife. The symptoms children display if any are rarely seen as serious, more often than not they are written off as a phase. Some individuals grow up with no symptoms at all, and then they are suddenly hit with a major breakdown between the ages of 18 and 24 years old. Not only are these individuals at war with their brains but they are also fighting the stigma with mental health conditions. People with mental disabilities are rarely seen as brave individuals; their battles are invisible so their strength is not appreciated or romanticized as much as someone with a disability that you can see. These individuals fighting daily invisible battles are written off as too weak to hold a job or friendships, too weak to handle life. In order to not be labeled as weak, many mental health warriors fight their battles alone and in silence, afraid that if they seek out help or treatment they will be associated with this stigma.
As defined by Mayo Clinic, “mental Health conditions – disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behavior” (Mayo Clinic. 2015). This includes common health conditions such as clinical depression and anxiety disorders like panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias. Everyone either knows someone or is someone affected by a mental health condition, “nineteen percent of the adult population in the United States experiences some form of mental health condition” (Parekh, Ranna. 2018). Anxiety disorders being the most common, affecting nearly 40 million adults in the United States alone. Out of that 40 million, only 36.9% of those individuals are being treated for their anxiety disorder. Even though the number of affected individuals is large enough to say that mental illness is common, they are still not held in the same regard as a physical condition.
In order to become more aware and active in the mental health movement, it is important to begin by realizing the fact that mental health conditions are as common and can as debilitating as physical disabilities. Due to the fact that mental health conditions are invisible, it is hard for people to understand that these are real conditions that come with daily struggles. In order to break away from this stigma, it is important to understand what stigma is, Graham C.L. Davey wrote an article in 2013 titled “Mental Health and Stigma” to assist in bringing awareness about the issue and how to finally break from these age-old ideologies. The mental health stigma is created by the view that “symptoms of psychopathology are threatening and uncomfortable, and these attitudes frequently foster stigma and discrimination towards people with mental health problems” (Davey. 2013). It is a known fact that people are generally scared of the things they know the least about. Rather than learning the facts, people chose to avoid and discriminate against those with mental disabilities.
Mental health is difficult for anyone to constantly maintain, a person with a mental disability has it that much harder to maintain, so why create or contribute to stigma or discrimination of mental health conditions? Everyone is entitled to having a bad day or the occasional bad attitude, but if someone with a known mental health condition displays anything other than a pleasant attitude it is seen as them acting out or having an “episode”. There are two different types of mental health stigma, social stigma, and perceived stigma or self-stigma. Social stigma is characterized by discriminating behavior towards individuals with mental health conditions. Perceived stigma is the internalized negative belief with the self, this comes about when a person experiencing social stigma begins to believe and in and agree with these negative reactions or associations with mental health conditions. Both social and perceived stigma has the power to greatly affect a discriminated person’s mood which in tern, can negatively affect treatment outcomes making it nearly impossible to rise above this stigma.
In a modern society that claims to be tolerant and all inclusive, we are still unable to break away from this ancient stigma. These beliefs likely stem from early theories that those suffering from mental health conditions are suffering due to demonic possession. We now understand that demonic possession is not the cause of a mental health condition, however even our modern medical model assists in the stigmatization of mental health conditions, “the medical model implies that mental health problems are on a par with physical illnesses and may result from medical or physical dysfunction in some way (when many may not be simply reducible to biological or medical causes)” (Davey. 2013). This medical model is reinforcing the idea that those with mental health conditions are “different”, and thus should be treated differently. This idea that one person is “normal” and another person is not should never be the standard way to compare two individuals. The reality is that no matter what condition an individual is harboring, they are still a person. No matter what the situation, a person with a mental disability or a physical one, they still expect, and deserve, to be treated like a person.
The first step to breaking away from mental health stigma is becoming more aware of the facts. In 2000, researcher Arthur Crisp, conducted a survey of over 1700 adults in the United Kingdom to study the stigmatizing attitudes people held for individuals with mental health conditions. Crisp found that most commonly held beliefs were that “(1) people with mental health problems were dangerous – especially those with schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug dependence, (2) people believed that some mental health problems such as eating disorders and substance abuse were self-inflicted, and (3) respondents believed that people with mental health problems were generally hard to talk to” (Crisp, Gelder, Rix, Meltzer et al. 2000). While mental health conditions may sound intimidating and dangerous, most individuals with mental health conditions are just as likely to be as violent as anyone else. In fact, only three to five percent of violent actions can be linked to an individual’s mental health condition (metalhealth.gov. 2017). Another common misconception is the idea that mental illness is something someone could choose to “snap out of”. This stems from not only lack of knowledge but also the seeing is believing phenomena. Another belief is that those with mental health conditions brought it upon themselves. The fact is that there are numerous factors that contribute to mental health problems like biological factors, trauma, and brain chemistry, none of which are avoidable. Sometimes things just happen, and having a mental health condition should not be the deciding factor for whether or not someone is employable or simply approachable.
The best way to solve a discriminatory issue such as this is to promote awareness and teach the facts early on, to normalize disability from the very start. If disability studies became part of the standard curriculum in schools, children would grow with a heightened awareness about disability. These children would grow into adults, unphased and unafraid of both mental and physical illnesses. By integrating disability studies in elementary, middle, and high school curriculum it will normalize disability and help students become more aware of symptoms and warning signs. By having a basic knowledge of the symptoms and warning signs early on will allow children to not only evaluate their own mental health but also be aware and sensitive to their peer’s mental health as well. When disability is taught as a normal everyday health unit or noted in books during English class, disability will become normal and it will create a platform for the disability movement to grow.
Mental illnesses do not discriminate, they lie in wait, fester, and show themselves when we are least expecting it. Mental illnesses are invisible Instead of maintaining ignorance, and judging individuals for having an ailment they have little to no control over; we should be striving for further research, better awareness, and improved overall care. Those living with a mental illness such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders and dementia are not weak individuals, they are silent warriors, they take on a world that pulls each and every one of us down whilst simultaneously battling their illness. Those suffering from mental illnesses should never have to be ashamed of their condition or too proud to seek help. As a community of people, we should be practicing awareness and sensitivity, not stigma. We should be pushing for our school system to educate students or at the very least put in the effort to educate our children at home about the symptoms and warning signs so that they are able to identify the issue and be helped earlier rather than after the first breakdown. In the past few years, we have come so far as a community to practice better tolerance and sensitivity for all life. Why not for those with disability?
Word Count: 1778
I Pledge… Kaitlyn O’Gorman
Work Cited
- Davey, Ph.D, Graham C. L. “Mental Health & Stigma.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-worry/201308/mental-health-stigma.
- “Facts & Statistics.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA, adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics.
- “Mental Health Myths and Facts.” Mental Health Myths and Facts | MentalHealth.gov, 2017, www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/mental-health-myths-facts.
- Parekh, M.D., M.P.H., Ranna. “What Is Mental Illness?” What Is Mental Illness?, 2018, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness.
