Mental Illness In Australia Essay

While treating mental illness the same as physical illness can help destigmatize mental in the ways stated previously, it can also help in the world of working. It has been shown that “stigma and the ‘Fear-Factor’” associated with mental illness has inhibited thousands upon thousands of capable and more than willing people from working jobs (Toscano 12). People fear what they do not comprehend, and most individuals do not understand mental illness, unlike physical illness. This misunderstanding has resulted in employers, in places such as Australia, is more likely to hire people who do not speak English or are uneducated and unqualified over those with a mental illness, no matter their qualifications (Toscano 12). Most people associate mental …show more content…
It has been said that “individuals receiving treatment for mental illness do not receive the same level of compassion” (“Addressing Mental Illness”), and without that compassion, sympathy and support from those one cares about, it is an unfair assumption that people with mental health disorders will ever truly get better. Being denied a job is just one example of many of lack of compassion towards those with a mental health disorder. People with a physical illness have typically received copious amounts of compassion and support no matter the case, and can even get paid leave upon a physical ailment; while on the other hand, it is unlikely that an individual would ever get paid leave if they had to take time off for a depressive episode that might have made it extremely difficult to simply get out of bed. The media has an influence on America's public view of mental illness through its fixation on physically violent psychotic criminals (Williams 14-15), and with the media's constant association with mental health disorders and danger, it has resulted in a disconnect between yet another minority and the