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Mental Health Stigma Discrimination

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Mental Health Stigma Discrimination
How does discrimination affect people with mental illness?

People with mental health problems experience many different types of stigma. This article explores the attitudes and beliefs of the general public towards people with mental illness, and the lived experiences and feelings of service users and their relatives.
Keywords: Mental health/Mental illness/Stigma/Discrimination

This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

5 key points
1. Stigma can affect many aspects of people’s lives
2. Self-stigma is the process in which people turn stereotypes towards themselves
3. How the general public perceive people with mental health problems depends on their diagnosis
4. Stigma can be a barrier to seeking early treatment, cause …show more content…
It is therefore imperative to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and stop these factors impinging on people’s mental wellbeing.

The National Service Framework for Mental Health incorporated standards services must follow to provide consistent quality of care (DH, 1999). These included guidance on “social inclusion, health promotion, tackling stigma and the promotion of opportunities for a normal pattern of daily life”. The DH (2001) concluded that “everyone has mental health needs, whether or not they have a diagnosis of mental illness”. Box 1 features recommendations of ways to help reduce the stigma experienced by mental health service users.

Recommendations
As the media can play an important role in reaching out to many people, it is important to work with and educate them to ensure the portrayal of mental illness is factual, impartial and …show more content…
This, in turn, could help to shape interventions and policies for improved legislation to help stop the discrimination faced by those with mental illness.

References:
Alonso J et al (2009) Perceived stigma among individuals with common mental disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders; 118: 180-186.
Angermeyer MC, Matschinger H (2005) The stigma of mental illness in Germany: A trend analysis. International Journal of Social Psychiatry; 51: 276-284.
Blenkiron P (2009) Psychiatry in the Media. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Bos AE et al (2009) Mental illness stigma and disclosure: consequences of coming out of the closet. Issues in Mental Health Nursing; 30: 509-513.
Chan D, Sireling L (2010) ‘I want to be bipolar’ …a new phenomenon. The Psychiatrist; 34: 103-105.
Corrigan P (2004) How stigma interferes with mental health care. The American Psychologist; 59: 7,
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