Stigma – A Harsh Way To Look At Mental Illness

Stigma – A Harsh Way To Look At Mental Illness

21 year old Ella Ingram of Melbourne won a landmark case against QBE Insurance after being denied travel insurance cover for her depression. She became too mentally ill to travel in 2012 to New York on a School trip and consequently was refused a reimbursement. The judge ruled that Ella’s depression was a disability and that QBE “engaged in direct discrimination” by refusing to insure her.

Ms Ingram stated, “We’re in the 21st century and it’s great that people like myself are speaking out about mental illnesses and it’s time that they get up with the program.”

Stigma – What is it?

There are two parts to ‘Mental Health Stigma’.

1. Social stigma – discriminating behaviour and prejudiced attitudes towards individuals with a mental health condition.
2. Perceived Stigma or Self Stigma – is the internalising of other’s perceptions, inaccurate views and negativity about mental illness.

Most people with a mental illness have said that they’ve experienced stigma in one form or another. The stigma around mental health brings about unwanted attitudes and behaviours in the form discrimination, social exclusion, negative stereotyping & labelling, mean words and even those whispers to a friend are a harsh unkindness that can affect a person’s self esteem to the point of erosion. Stigma causes harm to those who have mental illness by hampering the provision of effective treatment and care, thus limiting their ability to find work.

Public stigma against people with mental health is damaging.

Motivated by fear and prejudice, stigma creates a barrier separating ‘us’ and ‘them,’ adding more to the difficulties the sufferer already faces.
The word ‘Stigma’ has long been associated with shame, disgrace and dishonour. Stigma is defined as “A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person.”

Most societies and cultures that see the symptoms of mental illness as a personal threat considering them to the different and inferior from the societal norms.This form of discrimination and prejudice happens in schools, at work and in various societies and communities. The problem is global and it can happen anywhere.

Quite often stigmatisation can come about from family members, peers, employers, teachers in the form of unwarranted assumptions, distrust, avoidance, pity, dislike, fear, social rejection, underestimation of abilities and gossip. Families of those with a mental illness are also affected by it. Stigma leads to a lack of support affecting quality of life and poorer vocational outcomes. The best way to combat stigma is to educate others about mental health which will open up avenues for supporting sufferers and their family.

Stigma can cause people to feel the following…

• Blame & Shame
• Loss of social status
• Fear
• Distress
• Unable to be helped and reluctance to seek it
• Hopelessness
• social isolation

The Media and Stigma

Those with a psychotic illness like schizophrenia are thought of as unpredictable, dangerous and volatile by the general public. However it is yet unclear if popular conceptions of people with psychosis are formed due to the way these mental health issues are portrayed in the media or if they’re simply attitudes we form ourselves.
The media, news, movies, magazines, tv, marketing, websites, radio and tv all play a big part in shaping how we, the general public, perceive the world. An accurate representation of suicide and mental illness in the media can play a huge part in reducing stigma.

Sources

Mental Health WA
Psychology Today
Government Health
ABC News
Sane Stigma Watch

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