SHARES
Generally, a large portion of people in Asia have negative attitudes towards individuals struggling with mental health issues. This is in light of a study by Chong et al, where indeed, 38% of participants believed that people who are mentally ill are dangerous. Also, almost half of the participants in the study felt that the public “should be better protected from people with mental health problems”.
Further, what is most concerning is that 21.5% of the respondents believed that people who develop mental health conditions only have themselves to blame.
Impact of Societal Stigma against Mental Health Illness
Social stigma causes negative perceptions, which can adversely impact a person in two main ways:
Exclusion and Discrimination by the Society
When excluding or discriminating someone with mental health issues, we build barriers for this group of people to access quality healthcare services and employment opportunities.
That is to say, this stigma also renders the path to recovery more difficult. For instance, some may delay seeking help or discontinue treatment prematurely, or even worse, receive compromised healthcare services (Corrigan et al., 2014).
Further, an extensive body of research also identifies societal stigma as a significant barrier to employment of people living with mental health conditions (Henry & Lucca, 2004). In that case, these people face recruitment discrimination, misattribution of behaviours, and stress surrounding disclosure of mental health issues in the workplace (Brohan et al., 2014).
“Labelling Theory” of Mental Illness
In addition, stigmatisation also influences the way people with mental health problems perceive themselves and their illness. Simply put, the labels that people assign to individuals with mental health issues can be very damaging.
For example, those with psychosis are often labelled as being ‘crazy’ and being exceptionally violent. As a result, they actually believe that they are crazy. They may end up displaying actions that conforms to people’s perception of them, which creates a vicious cycle (Sheff, 1974).
Stigma is Amplified in Eastern Culture Beliefs
People, particularly those under heavy influence of Eastern culture, tend to put the blame on individuals suffering from mental health problems. These cultures often perceive people with mental illnesses as inherently flawed. The feeling of inadequacy, together with fear of stigmatisation, can discourage these people to seek help and recovery (Salaheddin et al., 2016).
Correspondingly, the earlier study by Chong et al. resonates with similar sentiments. Here, 48.7% of respondents agreed that they would not want others to know if they are facing a mental health problem. This is as a result, presumably, of the fear of being judged and discriminated against (Chong et al., 2007).
What should we do to eliminate the stigma against mental health?
Today, society continues to treat mental health as a taboo, with some admitting to having difficulty to talk about mental health (Chong et al., 2007). Therefore, having an open and honest discussion about mental health is important for 2 main reasons:
- Firstly, it eliminates prejudice and break down stigma. Having more conversations on mental health can serve as a way to educate the public by cultivating empathy. It also helps to debunk myths on mental health problems, ultimately contributing to a more understanding and tolerant society towards mental health issues.
- Secondly it creates a support system for those in need of help. The freedom to open up about personal struggles allows others to share their burdens, which can be a great help for those struggling.
A Word from Mind Culture
It is paramount that we understand that there is nothing wrong with seeking help. Equally important is to be able to recognise when the stressors we are face daily become too much for us to handle alone. Accordingly, we should not be afraid to seek help from our loved ones, or even professionals.
Here at Mind Culture, we understand that mental health illness can occur to anyone at any time. Another key point is that, the factors causing mental distress differ from person to person. We seek to develop a comprehensive understanding of the concerns faced by every individual, in order to recommend the most appropriate treatment intervention targeted at improving each person’s mental well-being. If you would like to find out more about our range of services or seek professional advice, do contact us and we would be happy to assist you!
References
- Brohan, E., Evans-Lacko, S., Henderson, C., Murray, J., Slade, M., & Thornicroft, G. (2014) Disclosure of a mental health problem in the employment context: qualitative study of beliefs and experiences. Epidemiol Psychiatric Science, 23(3), 289–300.
- Chong, S.A., Verma, S., Vaingankar, J.A. (2007). Perception of the public towards the mentally ill in developed Asian countries. Social Psychiatry Epidemiology, 42, 734–739.
- Corrigan, P. W,. Druss, B. G., Perlick, D. A.(2014) The Impact of Mental Illness Stigma on Seeking and Participating in Mental Health Care. Psychol Sci Public Interest, 15(2), 37-70.
- Henderson, C., Evans-Lacko, S., & Thornicroft, G. (2013). Mental illness stigma, help seeking, and public health programs. American journal of public health, 103(5), 777–780. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301056
- Henry, A.D., Lucca, A.M. (2004). Facilitators and barriers to employment: the perspectives of people with psychiatric disabilities and employment service providers. Work, 22(3), 169–82
- Salaheddin, K. & Mason, B. (2016). Identifying barriers to mental health help-seeking among young adults in the UK: a cross-sectional survey. British Journal of General Practice 2016; 66 (651): e686-e692. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp16X687313
- Scheff, T. (1974). The Labelling Theory of Mental Illness. American Sociological Review, 39(3), 444-452. Retrieved March 13, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2094300
Mind Culture contributed this article.
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by Joanne Lee
Multipotentialite. Loves creating and seeing ideas come alive. View all articles by Joanne Lee.
