The sub topics I have discovered regarding mental illness include the stigma of mental illness, the unequal opportunity to receive proper mental health care treatment in the U.S and the overrepresentation of mentally ill offenders in U.S jails and prisons. Findings from numerous studies have revealed the social, associative and self-stigma surrounding mental illness. ( CITE) Furthermore, numerous studies have also been done to identify if all Americans have an equal opportunity to receive effective mental health care treatment, the findings from these studies indicate that all Americans, due to financial and structural barriers, do not have equal opportunities to receive affective mental health care treatment. (Burns, 2009) (Ojeda, Bergstress,
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Jenkins and Elizabeth A. Carpenter-Song (2008) conducted ethnographic interviews, questionnaires, and observations to study the experience of participants that had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and found “nearly all persons 96% in the study reported perception of stigma across a variety of social settings they encounter on a daily basis.” (Jenkins, Carpenter-Song, 2008: 386) Fred E. Markowitz (1998) utilized longitudinal data from 610 individuals that had been diagnosed with one or more mental disorders to measure the effects of stigma on psychological well-being and life satisfaction of individuals that have been diagnosed with mental illness. 72% of respondents indicated that individuals who have a mental disorder are devalued and discriminated against, the respondents attributed their feelings to their own personal experiences of being stigmatized and discriminated against. (Markowitz 1998) Mieke Verhaeghe and Piet Bracke (2012) highlighted prior research that suggested that the stigma of mental illness is not only limited to individuals that have mental disorders, rather it also affects mental health providers as well as mentally ill individual’s family members. Their study focused on the effects of the associated stigma amongst mental health professionals and found that associated stigma amongst mental health providers does not only exist but also has detrimental effects as it has a major impact on mental health providers’ emotional wellbeing and job satisfaction which results in depersonalization among providers and their clients which affects the client’s progress and satisfaction. (Mieke Verhaeghe, Piet Bracke, 2012) Heather Stuart, Julio Arboleda-Florez and Norman Sartorius (2012) emphasized the findings from a 2005 study conducted by Stuart, Milev and Koller that found family members of individuals with mental illness reported being stigmatized “53% reported that stigma had affected their family’s quality of life; 43% reported that stigma
Jenkins and Elizabeth A. Carpenter-Song (2008) conducted ethnographic interviews, questionnaires, and observations to study the experience of participants that had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and found “nearly all persons 96% in the study reported perception of stigma across a variety of social settings they encounter on a daily basis.” (Jenkins, Carpenter-Song, 2008: 386) Fred E. Markowitz (1998) utilized longitudinal data from 610 individuals that had been diagnosed with one or more mental disorders to measure the effects of stigma on psychological well-being and life satisfaction of individuals that have been diagnosed with mental illness. 72% of respondents indicated that individuals who have a mental disorder are devalued and discriminated against, the respondents attributed their feelings to their own personal experiences of being stigmatized and discriminated against. (Markowitz 1998) Mieke Verhaeghe and Piet Bracke (2012) highlighted prior research that suggested that the stigma of mental illness is not only limited to individuals that have mental disorders, rather it also affects mental health providers as well as mentally ill individual’s family members. Their study focused on the effects of the associated stigma amongst mental health professionals and found that associated stigma amongst mental health providers does not only exist but also has detrimental effects as it has a major impact on mental health providers’ emotional wellbeing and job satisfaction which results in depersonalization among providers and their clients which affects the client’s progress and satisfaction. (Mieke Verhaeghe, Piet Bracke, 2012) Heather Stuart, Julio Arboleda-Florez and Norman Sartorius (2012) emphasized the findings from a 2005 study conducted by Stuart, Milev and Koller that found family members of individuals with mental illness reported being stigmatized “53% reported that stigma had affected their family’s quality of life; 43% reported that stigma