Mental Illness: A Meta Analysis

Our society has been continuously affected by mental illness. Many people tend to believe that an individual with a mental illness cannot operate in society, whether it’s in school, work, a relationship or at home. There are many individual attitudes, beliefs, and judgements about mental illness that lead to stigmas. Before anyone begins to judge others in society, he or she needs to learn the proper terminology. Mental illness can refer to many health conditions, like disorders that affect moods, thinking or behavior (or a combination of all). A few examples of mental illness consist of depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. It is not a certainty that there are direct stigmas, but most individuals can recognize …show more content…
A stigma can be defined as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. It is shown that the stigmas of mental illness are more negative than positive, and these stigmas affect the person with such conditions. Patrick Corrigan, author of “Challenging the Public Stigma of Mental Illness: A Meta-Analysis of Outcome Studies,” explains to us that public stigma (the prejudice and discrimination endorsed by the general population that affects a person) has been distinguished from the self-stigma (the harm that occurs when the person internalizes the prejudice) with attempts to craft separate interventions for each type of stigma (par. 1). There are different stigmas that surround mental health such as stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice. It is important to understand the constructs underlying the concepts of stigma because they could be more detrimental to the person’s health on top of dealing with the illness. Additionally, research has shown potential ways to reduce the stigmas, like a protest or social activism, education of the public, and contact with persons with mental …show more content…
Although these are all effective, education of the public is the most familiar one used. Education attempts to decline stigmas by providing opposing information. There are public service announcements, books, movies, videos, and other audiovisual aids that can deliver the message. On a side note, there are also educational courses that have been seen to reduce attitudes of stigma among participants. Overton and Medina mention that “research on educational campaigns suggests changes of behavior are often not assessed, effect sizes are limited, and programs are more effective for participants who have a better knowledge of mental illness before the education or had contact with persons with mental illness beforehand” (par. 38). Thus, these education programs usually reach out to those who agree with the message. More specifically, it is the overall message and content of the program that matter when trying to reduce