Prevalence and Impact of Stigma on Mental Health

Running head: COUNCELLING
COUNCELLING
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

COUNCELLING1
2. Discuss the prevalence and impact of stigma and discrimination on people
who have mental health conditions and disorders. Research and evaluate
how stigma and discrimination is being addressed within Australia to
protect the rights of mental health consumers.
Introduction
Mental illness, also termed as mental health disorders can be considered as a wide range
of mental conditions –affecting the mood, thought process and behavior of a person (Patten et
al ., 2016). Mental illness involves a wide range of clinical conditions like anxiety disorder,
depressions, eating disorders, schizophrenia and addictive behaviors. The word stigma has been
stated as “ a mark of shame, disgrace or disapproval that results in an individual being rejected,
discriminated against and excluded from participating in a number of different areas of society”
(WHO, 2001). Mental illness has a history of being stigmatized from time immemorial. It has
often being considered to be sign of devil or was considered as a moral punishment to those who
have done something wrong. Due to which the treatment for mental health illness had always not
been very smooth, but has been inhumane and brutal.
This essay will focus on the causes and the effects of stigmatization on patients suffering
from mental health disorders. The essay would also emphasize on how Australia deal with
mental health disorders and protect the rights of the mental health consumers.

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Discussion
Stigmatization in patients with mental health illness
The stigma related to mental health disorder can be divided in to two types – social
stigma, involving prejudiced attitudes that other develop centering round the mental health
illness. Another type of stigma is the self-perceived stigma that involves internalized inferiority
complex or stigma that a person faces while they suffer from the symptoms (Subramaniam et al.,
2017).
Although stigma is a social construct, but it is the culture that impacts upon stigma
significantly. The sociocultural beliefs and the practices that are being socially transmitted from
one generation to the other determines the perception of a disease (Subramaniam et al., 2017).
Cultural beliefs has long been playing an important role in the in the determination of the
explanatory model of mental illness, which in turns develops the concept of stigma (Patten et al.,
2016). Subramaniam et al., (2017) have suggested that “collective” nature of the Asians led to
believe that mental health illness indicates flaws of a family. Again the supernatural attributes of
mental health disorder is often viewed as a punishment for individuals, who have done
something bad in the past. The incapability of an individual to achieve academic or occupational
are highly esteemed and valued in some cultures, that also leads to stigmatization. If we date
back to the Neolithic time, brutal punishments such as trephining (chipping hole in the skull of
the person for releasing evil spirits), were given to those who suffered from mental health illness.
Self-perceived stigma is common in people receiving treatments for mental health
illnesses. Stigmatization hampers the mental health care at various levels, by discouraging the
help seeking behavior of the customer. According to various consumer surveys it has been found

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that discrimination and stigma are perceived from families and friends and unfortunately even
from the health care professionals. A report from the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, have
stated that people suffering from mental illness often feels deprived or ignored in emergency
rooms and are not catered to, with respect by the physicians and the other health care
professionals. While we were researching about the role of the societal methods involved in
creation of stigma, social psychologists have studied stigma in a way by which an individual
classify information about a group of people (Subramaniam et al., 2017). Negative stereotypes
like notions of incompetence and dangerousness are often linked with mental illness (Patten et
al., 2016). Most of the people suffering from mental health disorder develops certain stereotypes
in a way how the society characterizes the illness in front of the patient. Individuals suffering
from conditions like schizophrenia are susceptible to these types of stereotypes associated to
them. Once an individual internalize the negative stereotype within herself/himself, they might
experience a varied range of emotional responses (Yoshioka, Reavley, MacKinnon & Jorm,
2014). Some of the examples of the negative emotions are low self-efficacy, poor self-esteem.
Self-stigmatization specifically, self-isolation can have harmful effects like poor health quality of
life m deteriorated health outcomes, reluctance to receive health care support Corrigan and Rao,
2012). Again poor quality of life and low self-efficacy can be related to missing the opportunities
for employments and independent living. Amarasuriya, Jorm, Reavley and Mackinnon, (2015)
have noted that that individuals internalizing stigma always tends to worsen their course of
illness. It destroys the feelings of self-worth, which ultimately affects the health outcome and the
leads to a poor quality of life.
Self-stigma has been connected with perceived stigma, the recognition of a person that a
pubic embraces. They will discriminate against these individuals because of the mental health