Stigma against Mental Illness
نویسنده
چکیده
Stigma against mental illness is probably as old as the civilization itself. There are references to discrimination on the basis of mental illness in almost all the ancient books of law. In the well known Indian classic "Laws of Manu" there are references to insane persons (UNMATTA) in the chapters related to marriage, inheritance, feast after death, rules regarding contract and appearance as a witness etc. The important thing to note, however, is that insanity is not being specially discriminated but is considered a kind of disability and mentioned along with other physical disabilities and socially or religiously disapproved behaviour. Unfortunately over the centuries the public attitude has hardened and has become more irrational against all types of mental disorders. As a result we find now gross discrimination against people with mental illness in all spheres of life like job, housing, marriage, immigration etc., thus greatly reducing the opportunities for the mentally ill for their rightful participation in the society. The mental health professionals are aware of the harmful effect of this stigma against mental illness. It interferes at every stage in the diagnosis, treatment & rehabilitation of all types of mental disorders. It forces people to avoid seeking needed psychiatric help and grossly interferes in all efforts for their rehabilitation.
منابع مشابه
A Scoping Review of Questionnaires on Stigma of Mental Illness in Persian
Background: Patients with mental illness generally face two major issues related to their disorder. They should deal with not only different signs and symptoms of their disorder (including anxiety, delusion, hallucination etc.), but also with the concomitant social stigma of mental illness. Families of the patients with mental illness usually feel embarrassed and guilty about the disorder of th...
متن کاملInvestigating changes in internalized stigma and avoidant coping among African American adults living with HIV and serious mental illness following a peer-led intervention
Background: Individuals living with HIV navigate the health implications of HIV and HIV discrimination. This study aimed to examine changes in internalized stigma and avoidant coping among African American adults living with HIV and serious mental illness (SMI) following a peer-led intervention. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 16 patients were recruited using convenience sampling f...
متن کاملPerson-centered medicine from deep inside: personal reflections of my depression and recovery
I myself have suffered from serious mental illness. This is my story of suffering and recovery. In the year of 2006, I volunteered as a Face of Mental Illness Awareness Week, a Canada wide anti-stigma public service campaign organized—in part—by the Canadian Psychiatric Association [1]. I voluntarily chose to do this public service to fight against the stigma of mental illness. This stigma agai...
متن کاملPublic stigma against family members of people with mental illness: findings from the Gilgel Gibe Field Research Center (GGFRC), Southwest Ethiopia
BACKGROUND Public stigma against family members of people with mental illness is a negative attitude by the public which blame family members for the mental illness of their relatives. Family stigma can result in self social restrictions, delay in treatment seeking and poor quality of life. This study aimed at investigating the degree and correlates of family stigma. METHODS A quantitative cr...
متن کاملPublic Stigma against People with Mental Illness in the Gilgel Gibe Field Research Center (GGFRC) in Southwest Ethiopia
BACKGROUND Public understanding about mental illnesses and attitudes towards people with mental illness (PWMI) play a paramount role in the prevention and treatment of mental illness and the rehabilitation of PWMI. The aim of this study was to measure public stigma against PWMI and the factors associated with stigma in the Gilgel Gibe Field Research Center (GGFRC) in Southwest Ethiopia. METHO...
متن کاملComponents of Implicit Stigma against Mental Illness among Chinese Students
Although some research has examined negative automatic aspects of attitudes toward mental illness via relatively indirect measures among Western samples, it is unclear whether negative attitudes can be automatically activated in individuals from non-Western countries. This study attempted to validate results from Western samples with Chinese college students. We first examined the three-compone...
متن کامل