Problem 5 Mental illness: any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioural

problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention Involve disturbances of thought, experience, and emotion serious enough to cause functional impairment in people, making it more difficult for them to sustain interpersonal relationships and carry on their jobs, and sometimes leading to self-destructive behaviour and even suicide. Mental Health : Stigmatism HEALTH AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF STIGMA Mental illness and addiction are common, but only 1/3 of those needing treatment seek it due to fear of discrimination People deny painful symptoms and are reluctant to seek help at an early, more treatable stage of illness The drop-out rate for psychiatric treatment is high because people do not want to be seen attending psychiatric clinics. People with mental illness often hold the same beliefs as society at large and blame themselves for their illness The major way people cope with stigma is to withhold information from those who could help them Consumers expect to be rejected by the community and, therefore, are reluctant to engage with others The effects of stigma and its resultant social withdrawal may have a greater impact on an individual than the illness Family members are also harmed by stigma and may be blamed for causing or contributing to the illness Community attitudes can negatively affect recovery rate Mental health professionals are also often stigmatized, holding a diminished status in the eyes of other health care professionals and making recruitment challenging Many mental health professionals share negative attitudes towards people with mental illness The diminished attitude towards consumers is applied to self-help and peer-support programs, negatively affecting the number of referrals People with mental illness are less likely to be appropriately diagnosed and treated for comorbid medical conditions. THE MEDIA People with mental illness: Are homicidal maniacs who need to be feared Have childlike perceptions of the world and need to be taken care of, or

Are responsible for their illness due to weak character and should be Blamed Newspapers and TV stations can print or broadcast statements about those with mental illness that would not be tolerated if they were said about any other minority group. Stigma insinuates itself into policy decisions, access to care, health insurance, employment discrimination, and in research allocation and priorities. MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMATIZED? Its name implies it is different from physical illness Sounds as if it s all in one s head Some people believe it results from poor choices Belief that people with mental illnesses are dangerous and unpredictable, less competent, unable to work, should be institutionalized, can never get better SOME WAYS TO FIGHT MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA y y y y y y y y Avoid prejudging those with mental illness on the basis of media and societal stereotypes Learn more about mental illness Learn more about mental illness stigma and discrimination Speak up about mental illness stigma Listen to people who have experienced mental illness. Watch your language talk about people first, then their illness Talk openly about mental illness, especially your own or that of a loved one Provide support for organizations that fight mental illness stigma

SOME WAYS TO COPE WITH AND END STIGMA AS A CONSUMER Get appropriate treatment Surround yourself with supportive people Make your expectations known Don t equate yourself with your illness Share your own experiences Monitor the media Join an advocacy group. Labelling Theory focuses on the effect that social institutions and professions (e.g., psychiatry) have in labelling (defining and social constructing) behaviour and activities as deviant. Labeling Forever deemed a mentally ill patient. This process involves not only the labeling of criminally deviant behavior, which is behavior that does not fit socially constructed norms, but also labeling that which reflects stereotyped or stigmatized behavior of the "mentally ill". Institutionalisation
A total institution is place of work and residence where a great number of similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, together lead an enclosed, formally administered round of life.

Mortification of the self the process through which ones self-image is damaged and replaced by a personality adapted to institutional life. Depersonalisation a feeling that they are no longer considered fully human/individuals. ) is an
anomaly of the mechanism by which an individual has self-awareness. It is a feeling of watching oneself act, [1] while having no control over a situation. Sufferers feel they have changed, and the world has become less real, vague, dreamlike, or lacking in significance. It can be a disturbing experience, since many feel that, indeed, they are living in a "dream".

Deinstitutionalisation a trend in mental health treatment whereby individuals are admitted for short periods of time rather than undergoing lifetime hospitalisation.