Internalised Mental Illness: A Case Study

Mental health problems can affect the way an individual thinks in regards to cognition, feels and the way a person behaves. One in four people in Britain are affected by mental health problems, which can range from depression to schizophrenia (Mind, 2014). Although mental illness is not a physical illness and it is not visible to the human eye, this does not mean that the detrimental effects to a person life are not as catastrophic.
Internalised stigma is a massive problem experienced by people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Internalised stigma is discrimination turned inwards towards a person instead of on society. Individuals experience undesirable thoughts and feelings concerning oneself regarding their mental illness, self- believing in the negative stereotypes that are accompanying mental health in today’s society. An individual who is already fighting a battle with their mental illness doesn’t need the added pressure of society and their discriminatory voice inside their own head.
Corrigan (2004) defined internalised stigma as “negative stereotypes, attitudes, and perceptions held of individuals who are members of a socially devalued group”. A person who has internalised stigma not only accepts the stereotypes inflicted on them by society as accurate but also thinks they are bona fide to
This view arises due to a preformed judgement that the necessary skills or abilities to participate in such interaction are absent, and they also believe that they are dangerous and volatile. Once the stigma has been formed the individual is then classed as illegitimate, as they are an outsider and don’t adhere to social norms which will then lead to exclusion from the group (Elliott GC, Ziegler HL, Altman BM, Scott DR,