Cultural Biases Paper

Cultural Beliefs/Biases There is a stigma associated with mental illness and drug use due to the fact that mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and the medication’s ability to reduce symptoms (Medication, 2016). The belief that the mentally ill are crazy also ties into this stigma with them needing to be medicated as well. There is a correlation that one of the first thought that comes into a persons mind when they are told the person next to them suffers from a mental illness is ‘are they crazy?’ (Kam, n.d.). The assumption that being medicated for mental illness and being ‘crazy’ because they have a mental illness is a result of social stratification. Whether the person wants to or not, having a mental illness and being medicated is strongly frowned upon; it places people who fit into both or either category in a lower tier in the social hierarchy. The stigma associated with drug use in mentally ill patients and the presumption that they are crazy both tie strongly into each other. They both help me understand that social stratification plays a vital role when people perceive others as a deviant (in this case, having a mental disorder). It seems to …show more content…
Throughout history, neurological disorders have always carried a negative connotation to them; mothers and workers are no exceptions. Workers serve the role as a contributing member of society, while mothers carry the primary role of caregiver (King, 2010). Because mental illness is seen as a handicap (When a Mental Health Condition Becomes a Disability, 2016), many parts of society is doubtful of workers and mothers capability of serving their proper role. A mother suffers from role strain when they are faced with the task of raising a child and dealing with their mental illness; a worker also undergoes the same role strain when they deal with mental illness that can interfere with their job as a