{"id":3269,"date":"2019-05-21T13:26:24","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T19:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/blog\/?p=3269"},"modified":"2019-05-21T13:26:31","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T19:26:31","slug":"erasing-the-stigma-of-mental-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/blog\/erasing-the-stigma-of-mental-illness","title":{"rendered":"Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Peg Johnson,\nMA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erasing the stigma of mental illness. But what is stigma? A stigma<\/em><\/strong> is defined by Merriam Webster as \u201cA mark of shame or discredit, a stain, such as she bore the\u00a0stigma\u00a0of cowardice.\u201d\u00a0 Defined like this it makes us cringe. Surely an educated person in the U.S. would not think this way. Not true. In a survey published in June 2009, Vol 40, No. 6, \u00a0Sadie F. Dingfelder \u00a0found that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite decades of public information campaigns costing tens of millions of dollars, Americans may be as suspicious of people with mental illness as ever. New research by Bernice Pescosolido, PhD, published in the\u00a0Journal of Health and Social Behavior<\/em>\u00a0(Vol. 41, No. 2), finds that 68 percent of Americans do not want someone with a mental illness marrying into their family and 58 percent do not want people with mental illness in their workplaces.<\/p>
Sadie F. Dingfelder, Monitor Staff<\/em> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"Erasing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Imagine what it feels like to have that stigma\napplied to you when you are already struggling with mental illness. When the\npeople surrounding you believe that you are socially unacceptable, when they\nsee your illness as an unwanted attribute, it only deepens the sense of\nunworthiness you are already trying to overcome.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who\nstigmatize and \/or stereotype others bring about unfair treatment rather than\nhelp. This unfair treatment can be very obvious. For example, people make\nnegative comments or laugh. On the other hand, this unfair treatment can be\nvery subtle. For example, people might assume that a moody person is dangerous\nor violent. Rather than improving, some attitudes have gotten worse over time:\nFor instance, people are twice as likely today than they were in 1950 to\nbelieve that mentally ill people tend to be violent. Sadie Dingfelder reports:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent\u2014though they are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violence than members of the general population, according to a study published in 2001 in the\u00a0International Journal of Law and Psychiatry<\/em>\u00a0(Vol. 24, No. 6). And a new study, published in February in the\u00a0Archives of General Psychiatry<\/em>\u00a0(Vol. 66, No. 2) finds that mental illness alone does not increase the chances that a person will become violent.<\/p>
Sadie Dingfelder <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>How can we reduce or (better yet) succeed in erasing the stigma of mental illness? Why should we bother? Compassionate reasons aside, one in four Americans will be affected by a mental health disorder in any given year, and many more will have a family member affected. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), serious mental illness costs the US $193 billion in lost earnings per year. There are ample statistics to underscore the need to remove this extra burden from those already struggling with a difficult diagnosis. Sixty percent of those with a mental illness fail to seek care, many because they fear the stigma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness Worldwide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The stigma of mental illness is a world-wide\nissue. What can be done? What has been tried? In Israel Ezer Mizion offers a\nvariety of psychological support services and rehabilitative programs for\npeople suffering from psychological disorders, emotional issues and mental\nillnesses. These services include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n