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Janet Fabode

Ms. Mary Curtin

Intern/Mentor Program

24 April 2019

Stopping the Stigma

Mental health is a topic of discussion becoming more prevalent in society today. Since

the establishment of Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949, countless treatment methods for

mental illnesses were generated. Yet, the increasing number of people with mental illnesses

implies the ineffectiveness of such treatments. When standing alone, the majority of treatment

methods prove to be fruitful. But when paired with mental health stigma, such treatments

become fruitless. Mental health stigma refers to the mark of disgrace associated with people with

mental illnesses. The stigma has its origins in fear and lack of knowledge and not only shames its

victims into silence but also prevents them from seeking help.

Social stigma, a distinct type of mental health stigma, acts as a major barrier to the health

and overall quality of life of the mentally ill. Stigmatizing responses make it difficult for people

with mental disorders to seek treatment. The root of these stigmatizing responses comes from the

belief that most mental illnesses, such as eating disorders, are self-inflicted. The effect only

becomes more potent when responses come from people who are close to the person seeking

treatment. Family members may unknowingly display a stigmatizing response in the form of

distrust or avoidance. The same can be said for teachers who demonstrate “fear, dislike,

underestimation of abilities” towards the mentally ill (Moses). When people with mental
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disorders receive this sort of behavior or reaction from people close to them, they stay silent

when it comes to matters concerning their mental health.

Stigmatizing responses can also be the result of the historical view of mental illness as a

character flaw. As a result, people with mental illnesses are regularly judged by society, carrying

attitudes such as, “that unkempt person on the park bench must be a mental patient” (Eagly et al.

). A significant proportion of the public believes people with mental illnesses are “violent and

unpredictable” (Wang & Lei). However, a large majority of people with a mental health illness

are nonviolent and are actually more likely to be the victims of violent crimes (“Mental Health”).

With such predisposed opinions, it is not surprising that people with mental illnesses fear seeking

out help because they do not want to fall victim to ignorant categorization.

Mental health stigma has a lot do with misconceptions: misconceptions that have various

origins. One of these origins is movies. Movies often unconsciously fuel fear of people with

mental disorders. Mental illness is commonly depicted in movies as destructive and disturbing.

More specifically, psychotic disorders, such as Schizophrenia, are “particularly subject to several

movie-perpetuated distortions”. For example, “cinematic schizophrenic characters frequently are

depicted as dangerous to others, unpredictable, and grossly disorganized in behavior, speech, and

effect”. Such depiction, however, is not accurate. In reality, “the majority of those who are

diagnosed with schizophrenia are non-violent toward others” (Owens).

The combination of stigmatizing responses and misconceptions comes with a large share

of consequences, such as a lack of viable opportunities for people with mental health conditions.

One of these is the lack of housing for the mentally ill; “currently, homelessness is fueled by a

mental health system that fails to provide even rudimentary care for those formerly housed in
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institutions”. Thus, a third or more of the homeless population suffers from severe mental

illness” (Hinshaw). In other words, rather than receiving treatment, people with mental illnesses

are homeless because of misconceptions surrounding their illness.

Furthermore, the lack of housing only leads to further difficulties, such as incarceration.

According to a recent study, “those experiencing homelessness are found to be arrested more

often, incarcerated longer, and re-arrested at higher rates than people with stable housing”

(​Metraux S, Caterina R, Cho R.). Therefore, ​prisons have become the largest mental facilities in

the United States. There is an alarming “tendency to criminalize mental illness” and “exposure to

violent conditions can only worsen the prognosis” (Hinshaw). This is a repercussion stemming

from the fact that society does not recognize people with mental health conditions as ill.

Although recent views of mental illness have certainly grown more positive in

comparison to the past, mental health stigma is still an issue that is very much alive in today’s

society. This issue is not only fueled by fear and media misconceptions but also comes with

significant consequences. Mental illness is not a character flaw or a sign of weakness. It is not

preventable or everlasting. It is time for society, as a whole, to come to terms with these facts in

order to reach the point where a generation without stigmatization is achieved.

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Works Cited

Eagly, A. H., Ashmore, R. D., Makhijani, M. G., & Longo, L. C. (1991). What is beautiful is

good, but . . . : A meta-analytic review of research on the physical attractiveness

stereotype. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 109–128

Hinshaw, Stephen P. “The Mark of Shame.” ​Google Books​, 2007,

books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1boVDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=mor

alistic%2Bviews%2Bof%2Bmental%2Billness&ots=lCWOnX6Kp8&sig=O_SRU-KSd0

cpyQ-lzo3Y3VRF12Y#v=onepage&q=moralistic%20views%20of%20mental%20illness

&f=false.

Metraux S, Caterina R, Cho R. "Incarceration and Homelessness" Toward Understanding

Homelessness: The 2007 National Symposium on Homelessness Research. Ed. Deborah

Dennis, Gretchen Locke & Jill Khadduri. Washington DC: US Department of Housing &

Urban Development, 2008. http://works.bepress.com/metraux/1

Moses, Tally. “Being Treated Differently: Stigma Experiences with Family, Peers, and School

Staff among Adolescents with Mental Health Disorders.” ​Social Science & Medicine

(1982),​ U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2010,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20122768.

Oliver, John, director. ​Mental Health .​ ​YouTube​, YouTube, 4 Oct. 2015,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGY6DqB1HX8.

Owen, Patricia. “Dispelling Myths About Schizophrenia Using Film.” ​Journal of Applied Social

Psychology​, vol. 37, no. 1, 10 Jan. 2007, pp. 60–61.,

doi:10.1111/j.0021-9029.2007.00147.x.
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Pellegrini, Christina. "Mental illness stigma in health care settings a barrier to care." ​CMAJ:

Canadian Medical Association Journal,​ 7 Jan. 2014, p. E17. Science In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A357473019/SCIC?u=elli85889&sid=SCIC&xid=38

eb61a7​.

Reavley, Nicola J, and Anthony F Jorm. “Recognition of Mental Disorders and Beliefs about

Treatment and Outcome: Findings from an Australian National Survey of Mental Health

Literacy and Stigma.” ​The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry,​ U.S.

National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2011, ​www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21995330​.

Wang, JianLi. “The Relationship between Mental Health Literacy, Personal Contacts and

Personal Stigma against Depression.” ​Journal of Affective Disorders,​ Elsevier, 7 Feb.

2008, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032708000244