Mental illness and substance abuse disorder are now considered a major problem in society due to the stigmatization evinced with the mentally ill and the issues surrounding the health and criminal perspective as a vast percentage of people with mental and substance abuse disorder will eventually be in contact with the police, or they have been previously incarcerated.
According to the World Health Organization (2001), 25% of people in the world will suffer from a mental disorder at some point in their lives, and approximately 450 million people currently suffer from mental health. In Canada alone back in 2002, roughly 2.6 million individuals, or 10% of the overall population, reported symptoms consistent with mental health disorders (Statistics …show more content…
313-316 ). This is in the view of the fact that these individuals do “not pursue or fail to fully participate once they have begun” (Corrigan, 2004, p. 614-625). Several reasons for this includes discrimination, stigmatization and the avoidance of being labeled as mentally ill as “it diminishes self-esteem and robs people of social opportunities” (Corrigan, 2004, p. 614-625). A nationwide survey in Canada involving 1,301 mentally ill individuals are asked questions concerning their experience with stigma and discrimination. “Survey results revealed experience of stigma from a variety of sources, including communities, families, churches, co-workers, and mental health caregivers.” (Wahl, 1996, p. 467-478). The survey reveals society’s stigmatization to mentally ill individuals, wherein people, who are supposed to help, provide services and comfort for them, turns out to be one of the reasons on why they hesitate to ask for help and seek treatment to their disorders. Factors that contribute to the on-going stigma includes media influence as people with mental health conditions are often depicted as violent and unpredictable and public stereotypes about mental health conditions which can lead to bullying and even “denied adequate housing, health insurance and jobs due to their history of mental illness.” (Canadian Health Association, 2016). This stigmatization of mentally ill individuals leads to their poverty, homelessness, and it increases the severity of the already present mental health problems such as depression and substance use. These are also the same factors that will eventually lead them to do criminal acts or contact with
According to the World Health Organization (2001), 25% of people in the world will suffer from a mental disorder at some point in their lives, and approximately 450 million people currently suffer from mental health. In Canada alone back in 2002, roughly 2.6 million individuals, or 10% of the overall population, reported symptoms consistent with mental health disorders (Statistics …show more content…
313-316 ). This is in the view of the fact that these individuals do “not pursue or fail to fully participate once they have begun” (Corrigan, 2004, p. 614-625). Several reasons for this includes discrimination, stigmatization and the avoidance of being labeled as mentally ill as “it diminishes self-esteem and robs people of social opportunities” (Corrigan, 2004, p. 614-625). A nationwide survey in Canada involving 1,301 mentally ill individuals are asked questions concerning their experience with stigma and discrimination. “Survey results revealed experience of stigma from a variety of sources, including communities, families, churches, co-workers, and mental health caregivers.” (Wahl, 1996, p. 467-478). The survey reveals society’s stigmatization to mentally ill individuals, wherein people, who are supposed to help, provide services and comfort for them, turns out to be one of the reasons on why they hesitate to ask for help and seek treatment to their disorders. Factors that contribute to the on-going stigma includes media influence as people with mental health conditions are often depicted as violent and unpredictable and public stereotypes about mental health conditions which can lead to bullying and even “denied adequate housing, health insurance and jobs due to their history of mental illness.” (Canadian Health Association, 2016). This stigmatization of mentally ill individuals leads to their poverty, homelessness, and it increases the severity of the already present mental health problems such as depression and substance use. These are also the same factors that will eventually lead them to do criminal acts or contact with