Stigma and Mental Health
Mental illnesses affect around 25% of the world’s population, approximately one in every four, according to WHO (2001) and includes, but is not limited to, depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and many others. Stigma is a bad disposition towards something, and it is estimated that between 50-67% of all people affected by a mental illness fail to seek treatment due to stigma. I am interested in this topic because, since an unusually early age, I have been fascinated with mental disorders and today I am passionate about helping people who deal with them (especially some of my close friends). This topic is important because there are many people who are unaware or uneducated about mental illnesses. …show more content…
They hypothesized that stigma was a prevalent issue in adolescents and gave several students an online survey that asked questions concerning the subjects’ knowledge, contact with mental health issues every day, what they thought about mental health problems, and whether stigma was a prevalent issue in their own high school. The results showed that kids in high school did often avoid getting help or reaching out of their illnesses for support, and that stigma was definitely a reason. There were kids who, out of fear of being judged by others, kept to themselves; some of the students acknowledged that there were others who might not be sure if they had a mental illness and therefore didn’t seek help, and those who simply did not know where to go rather than blatantly avoiding a way out. Because stigma surrounding mental illness prohibits the ill from receiving help, a way for someone to get help could be implemented in a way that wouldn’t make them feel shameful or afraid of other’s judgment. Anonymity could be an answer to accomplish …show more content…
Stigma, a bad disposition or unfavorable belief system towards something, is one of the main reasons why those who deal with mental illnesses on a day to day basis might avoid getting the help they need and deserve. Everybody around the world should be made aware of mental health and steps should be taken to defeat stigma. In the future, research concerning how we can help reduce stigma should be emphasized and I believe the information collected from that research should also be used to help make an effort to educate everybody about mental health; there are some people who don’t know about it, some who think unfavorably towards those who have it, and some who are simply ignorant or choose to turn a blind eye. In my own high school I can remember only briefly, if at all, covering mental issues- depression might’ve been brought up at one point. There should be more information on what mental illnesses are and how we can receive help for them or help others. The questions I have are these: why are we, as fallible human beings, so unbearably misunderstanding of those who have mental illnesses? Why don’t we step off our high horses and begin to understand and help those around us who deal with these things? And perhaps this is unknown, but why is stigma even real? Why does it exist? Shouldn’t we be helping those around us instead of looking down on them? This topic is
Mental illnesses affect around 25% of the world’s population, approximately one in every four, according to WHO (2001) and includes, but is not limited to, depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and many others. Stigma is a bad disposition towards something, and it is estimated that between 50-67% of all people affected by a mental illness fail to seek treatment due to stigma. I am interested in this topic because, since an unusually early age, I have been fascinated with mental disorders and today I am passionate about helping people who deal with them (especially some of my close friends). This topic is important because there are many people who are unaware or uneducated about mental illnesses. …show more content…
They hypothesized that stigma was a prevalent issue in adolescents and gave several students an online survey that asked questions concerning the subjects’ knowledge, contact with mental health issues every day, what they thought about mental health problems, and whether stigma was a prevalent issue in their own high school. The results showed that kids in high school did often avoid getting help or reaching out of their illnesses for support, and that stigma was definitely a reason. There were kids who, out of fear of being judged by others, kept to themselves; some of the students acknowledged that there were others who might not be sure if they had a mental illness and therefore didn’t seek help, and those who simply did not know where to go rather than blatantly avoiding a way out. Because stigma surrounding mental illness prohibits the ill from receiving help, a way for someone to get help could be implemented in a way that wouldn’t make them feel shameful or afraid of other’s judgment. Anonymity could be an answer to accomplish …show more content…
Stigma, a bad disposition or unfavorable belief system towards something, is one of the main reasons why those who deal with mental illnesses on a day to day basis might avoid getting the help they need and deserve. Everybody around the world should be made aware of mental health and steps should be taken to defeat stigma. In the future, research concerning how we can help reduce stigma should be emphasized and I believe the information collected from that research should also be used to help make an effort to educate everybody about mental health; there are some people who don’t know about it, some who think unfavorably towards those who have it, and some who are simply ignorant or choose to turn a blind eye. In my own high school I can remember only briefly, if at all, covering mental issues- depression might’ve been brought up at one point. There should be more information on what mental illnesses are and how we can receive help for them or help others. The questions I have are these: why are we, as fallible human beings, so unbearably misunderstanding of those who have mental illnesses? Why don’t we step off our high horses and begin to understand and help those around us who deal with these things? And perhaps this is unknown, but why is stigma even real? Why does it exist? Shouldn’t we be helping those around us instead of looking down on them? This topic is