essay of mental health stigma
INTRODUCTION
Stigma can be expressed in various term, it can be a brand, labelling or identification. It is a differentiation of a person resulting to a boundary between “us” and “them” (Link and Phelan 2001). These affect consumers in a way they are discriminated and treated differently because they have mental illness. The effect of stigma can take away the rights of consumers who are suffering from mental illness causing social dilemmas (SANE Australia 2013). A survey shows 74% of consumers experience stigma from school, work, and social activities. Consumers had only one feedback, to reduce stigma so they can go with their life peacefully and engage in normal social activities without discrimination (SANE Australia 2006). It is really a burden for consumers experiencing this kind of judgment and it contributes negatively to the quality of life, not only for the consumers but also for their family, relatives, community, and health care providers (Sartorius & Sculze 2005). Nothing is more important for the consumers to live freely without being branded by the society and finding the roots of stigma will definitely help solve the problem.
In this writing, I will discuss two controversial sources of stigma and how can it affect the consumers. This will be explained through reliable resources and real life actual accounts of consumers experiencing stigma within the society. A discussion will be detailed at the end of this paper showing my insight about the said issue and possible solutions for this stigma.
MEDIA
We live in a society where media is one of the most powerful influences in the world. Everything is connected through media, advertisements, movies, and the most popular today, the internet. A person or a community can be influenced by media and it is also a primary source of knowledge about mental illness (SANE Australia 2013). Assuming that there are negative messages about mental disorders in media, it adds to misinterpretations and myths associated
Stigma can be expressed in various term, it can be a brand, labelling or identification. It is a differentiation of a person resulting to a boundary between “us” and “them” (Link and Phelan 2001). These affect consumers in a way they are discriminated and treated differently because they have mental illness. The effect of stigma can take away the rights of consumers who are suffering from mental illness causing social dilemmas (SANE Australia 2013). A survey shows 74% of consumers experience stigma from school, work, and social activities. Consumers had only one feedback, to reduce stigma so they can go with their life peacefully and engage in normal social activities without discrimination (SANE Australia 2006). It is really a burden for consumers experiencing this kind of judgment and it contributes negatively to the quality of life, not only for the consumers but also for their family, relatives, community, and health care providers (Sartorius & Sculze 2005). Nothing is more important for the consumers to live freely without being branded by the society and finding the roots of stigma will definitely help solve the problem.
In this writing, I will discuss two controversial sources of stigma and how can it affect the consumers. This will be explained through reliable resources and real life actual accounts of consumers experiencing stigma within the society. A discussion will be detailed at the end of this paper showing my insight about the said issue and possible solutions for this stigma.
MEDIA
We live in a society where media is one of the most powerful influences in the world. Everything is connected through media, advertisements, movies, and the most popular today, the internet. A person or a community can be influenced by media and it is also a primary source of knowledge about mental illness (SANE Australia 2013). Assuming that there are negative messages about mental disorders in media, it adds to misinterpretations and myths associated