Why?

Mental Health Stigma

For years, many have been suffering the effects of the stigma against mental health. The general public has so many preconceived notions that those with mental health are dangerous or unpredictable. While there are some extreme cases where that is true, most of those suffering from mental disorders are mostly ordinary with an illness that slightly alters their day-to-day life. There would be little to no from someone with a physical disorder like diabetes. Yes, a person with depression might require medication or therapy, just as a person with diabetes has a physical dependency on insulin or another medication. Mental illness is just as feasible as any physical illness, and just because those suffering from it are slightly different from the mentally healthy population, that does not mean that they are any more dangerous than anyone else. There are plenty of perfectly sane people who commit murder every day, so if someone with severe schizophrenia shouts some random expletives because they honestly believe that the room around them is on fire, maybe we should have more pity on them than fear of them.

The problem, currently, is that there is such a significant stigma against those with any form of mental illness. There was a study in Alberta, Canada, that looked at the stigma against depression. In this study, 45.9% of participants stated a belief that those suffering from depression are unpredictable, 39.5% stated that they would not vote for someone with depression, 22.1% would not employ them, and 21.9% believe that they are dangerous (Cook and Wang 3). If this study was just based on depression, imagine how the general public feels about some of the more “major” mental illnesses like Schizophrenia and DID. With the way that movies and other forms of media portray those with mental illnesses, it is not surprising how they can be viewed as dangerous or unpredictable. DID, alone, has several “horror” movies made based on its concept. The two movies Identity (2003) and Split (2016) are both referencing those suffering from DID as serial killers and so unbelievably psychotic that they cannot function in everyday society, even though the majority living with DID are not entirely abnormal people.

The stigma against those suffering from mental health does not stop with the mentally ill themselves. The stigma actually can sometimes extend to the family, as well. A study was done correlating the “stigma by association” and the quality of life with family members of those with a mental illness. The study shows that those suffering from the stigma or family burden of having a loved one with a mental illness have a higher rate of psychological distress and a lower quality of life (Remko and Van Der Sanden 1236). The people around those with mental disorders suffer from the distress of helping their loved one(s) cope with their struggles, all the while having to deal with problems of their own, not to mention the stigma against them just for being related to someone with a disorder.

Some might argue that the stigma against mental illness is no longer a problem. That is far from accurate. While studies show that stigma against mental health is decreasing across generations, the percentages of people that would not want others to know about their mental health problems (even family and friends) are increasing (Collins 2-3). This study shows that while people are feeling more and more comfortable around those with mental health problems, they are less and less likely to actively talk about it due to the older generations not being comfortable with it and the fear of others’ judgment. So, while the stigma is slowly decreasing as the newer generations are more accepting of mental illness, it is not decreasing nearly fast enough for people to feel comfortable reaching out for the help they need.

The solution I propose is raising awareness about the reality of mental health. This solution could look like any number of things, including reducing the amount of entirely demoralizing depictions of those with mental illness in the media, encouraging the people around us to talk about mental health and its effect on their lives, and even making educational media that more accurately depicts the reality of the disease that inflicts suffering on many minds every day. There was a group of developers that created a video game called Stigma-Stop to combat the stigma and prejudice against people suffering from mental health disorders. They tested a group of high-schoolers on their beliefs before and after playing the game that involved characters with mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia. There was a statistically significant difference between the before and after results of the stigma testing (Cangas 7). The results show that it could be helpful to introduce those with stigma to characters accurately depicting someone with a severe mental illness. Imagine what could happen if we introduce those with stigma to real people suffering from these illnesses. The mere knowledge of knowing the reality behind such diseases of the mind could dramatically reduce many people’s stigma. Stereotypes are only held by those who are unaware or uneducated of reality. The old phrase “knowledge is power” is accurate in that someone who is not knowledgeable about, or at least familiar with, mental illness does not possess the ability to see it as it truly is, an illness that requires the help and understanding of those around them.

With how common mental illness is becoming in our current society, something must be done to help those with a need for support. Everyone either knows someone or knows a family member of someone with psychological problems. Maybe it is something as relatively small as mild anxiety, or maybe it is something as relatively severe as panic disorder. There is such a wide range of illnesses that not only differ in severity but in a person’s ability to function in their society. It would be a lot easier for those suffering to go through life if they receive care and understanding, as opposed to fear and stereotyping.

Currently, our society is stuck in a loop of stigma. There is stigma against those with mental health; those with mental health are unwilling to reach out because of that stigma. The stigma is not reducing quickly enough because those with the stigma are unaware of reality, which could be solved by learning more about mental illness. Those with stigma cannot learn more if those with mental illness do not share, and those with mental illness are afraid to share because there is a stigma in the first place. The vicious cycle has no end; we have to be that end.

We, as a society need to start teaching the unknowledgeable about mental illness. Raising awareness and disproving stigmas and stereotypes is how we break the cycle. It cannot be just a few psychologists and organizations trying to make a change; everyone has to agree to help reduce the stigma. We have nothing without community; how can we have a community if there is an entire population that feels that they have to lie about themselves to make everyone else feel at peace. It is sad and frustrating because there are so many lovely, kind individuals who are unable to be themselves around others out of the fear of rejection.

In conclusion, the stigma surrounding mental health, those suffering from it, and those who are related to those suffering from it, is still a genuine problem that can only be solved by raising awareness and educating the people around us. Some people argue that it is no longer an issue, but evidence suggests that there are still many being affected by it. If we are going to make this world a happier, safer place for people to talk and be themselves, we have to work for it. We cannot leave it to a few doctors, advocates, and courageous people suffering from the illness themselves; we cannot leave it to one video game try to change everything. While those things are helpful, they are not enough. We need to be better as a society; we need to work together as a whole towards the goal of everyone being comfortable acting like themselves, as opposed to hiding who they are out of fear.

References

Cangas, Adolfo J., et al. “Stigma-Stop: A Serious Game against the Stigma toward Mental Health in Educational Settings.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 8, 2017. PsycINFO, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01385.

Collins, Rebecca, et al. “Beliefs Related to Mental Illness Stigma Among California Young Adults.” JSTOR, 2014, doi:10.7249/rr819.

Cook, Trevor M, and Wang, Jianli. “Descriptive Epidemiology of Stigma against Depression in a General Population Sample in Alberta.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 10, no. 1, 2010. PsycINFO, doi:10.1186/1471-244x-10-29.

Remko L. M. Van Der Sanden, et al. “Stigma by Association and Family Burden among Family Members of People with Mental Illness: the Mediating Role of Coping.” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 51, no. 9, 2016, pp. 1233–1245. PsycINFO, doi:10.1007/s00127-016-1256-x.