Case Study Mental Health

At the age of 22, Mr Smith opened up to his GP at the time to what he has been going through during his childhood. He was then given a referral to the local mental health team, he was in full compliance with the team and an assessment was carried out by psychiatric doctor, psychologist, social worker and an approved mental health practitioner. He was diagnosed with Effective Bipolar Disorder; he was informed that support is available within the mental health services. During the assessment Mr Smith broke down into tears and he stated that he has previously attempted to jump off the bridge but he was seen by the by passer and he was stopped by the by passer. He broke down in tears and gasped with a deep breath stating that he is angry at everything in his life, experiencing mood swings with panics and sometimes feels he wants to give away his personal belongings; hence stating not worth living after everything he has been through. The by passer walked with him to a nearby park and he stated that he feels confused sometimes and he stated that he feels bad for his actions, blaming everything to himself. …show more content…
It is stated by Linet et al. (1989) that the perceived stigma or self-stigma is the internalizing by the individual of their perceptions of discrimination, embarrassment and perceived stigma. It is believed that these concerns of discrimination can significantly affect feelings of shame and often lead to poorer treatment outcomes (Perlick et al. 2001). This is a significant recovery challenge to practitioners when attempting to promote adherence of any treatment option to Mr Smith. The self-stigma that Mr Smith experiences about his diagnosis if left unaddressed will be a constant, underlying challenge to his recovery