Social Attitudes on Mental Health

This paper examines the social attitudes of the general public that affect the employment opportunities for the mentally ill individuals and the ways in which the healthcare workers contribute positively and negatively to the social, physical and economic wellbeing of the mentally ill clients.

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Social Attitudes on Mental Health
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MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
Social Attitudes on Mental Health
Introduction
According to the (World Health Organization 2014), mental health is regarded as a state
of well-being where a person is able to recognize the potential they posses, having the ability of
coping with normal life stresses, fruitful and productive working as well as the ability to take
part in communal contributions. In Australia, it is approximated that in every five Australians,
one will experience mental illness yearly. This means that it is the third leading disability burden
cause in Australia. (Farer, Walker, Harrison and Banfield, 2018), the pervasiveness of behavioral
and mental disorders for people born outside Australia simulates those who are born within,
where psychotic illnesses account for 3% of Australians. Relevant progress have been made in
identifying and understanding mental illness dimensions to social stigma vis-à-vis the
discriminatory behavior and public stereotypes that affect the ability of the mentally ill to
compete effectively for employment (Boxall and Gillipsie, 2013). This paper will decipher the
social attitudes of the general public that affect the employment opportunities for the mentally ill
individuals. The paper will also examine the ways in which the healthcare workers contribute
positively and negatively to the social, physical and economic wellbeing of the mentally ill
clients.
Discussion
With the increasing statistics on mental health cases, it is of great importance for the
society to find ways of effectively incorporating the mentally ill patients into the daily activities
of the society (Duckett and Willcox, 2015). Studies have showed that in as much as most mental
illnesses are chronic in nature, they are largely manageable and the people affected could live
normal lives if they adhered to the treatment plan. As such the Australian government through

MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
psychiatric Australia roots for a holistic based approach through programs such as the program;
Your Brain Matters, that aims at reducing mental illness via preventive measures that are of
benefit to mental health.
Effect of Social Attitudes on Employment Opportunities for the Mentally Ill Individuals
Many individuals that are mentally challenged are faced with a myriad of setbacks in
attempts to carry out the activities of daily living and making ends meet. Such individuals have
to struggle with social stigma such as unemployment as well as the symptoms of their illnesses
owing to the complex disease process of most mental illnesses (Hawk and Evans, 2013). The
social stigmas are as a result of the prejudice and misconceptions of the society regarding the
mental illnesses. The result of this is the robbing of the individuals that are mentally ill of the
opportunities to compete effectively for employment opportunities and live a normal and quality
life (Haley, 2012). Such a quality life would be defined by good employment, proper and safe
housing, affordable, accessible and satisfactory healthcare as well as equal affiliation with the
diverse societal groups.
Various studies have been conducted to decipher the impacts of mental illnesses on the
socioeconomic status of the mentally ill patients (Luo et al. 2014). Some of the findings have
showed that there is immense social stigma in mental illness. There are still research gaps that
exist in the understanding of how broad the prejudicial scope against the mentally ill could be.
Public stigma generally refers to the perception on the larger population to people that are
mentally ill. Self-stigma, on the other hand, is the self directed prejudice by the mentally ill
patients (Barret and Walter, 2016). Both types of stigmas have a significant impact on the social
and economic lives of the mentally ill including their ability to compete effectively for
competitive employments.

MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
The types of stigma precipitate discrimination, prejudice, and stereotype that affect the
ways in which the mentally ill clients associate with the members of the public. Mental illness is
considered as a chronic syndrome that is characterized by cognitive function dilapidation against
the expectations that are associated with normal ageing and other biological processes (Word
Health Organization, 2014). The disruption of the cognitive function amounts to emotional
control loss, deteriorating motivation and social behavior. It comes up as a result of varying brain
diseases and injuries that affect the brain (stroke) (Luo et al. 2014). In Australia, it is a leading
disability cause especially among the elderly, from 65 years of age and above, and its ubiquity is
greater in older women than it is to men (Farer, Walker, Harrison, and Banfield, 2018). As at 7th
February 2011, 245,000 persons were approximated to having dementia and as the population
growth and aging surges, it is estimated that more people will likely be affected by dementia
with the number expected to rise by 2031 to 465,000.
How the attitude of mental health workers can impede or assist mentally ill people
Mental health workers play a major role in ensuring that mentally ill patients have the
best living conditions. Notably, the nature of working environment often has a great impact in
enabling mental workers to develop attitudes that can help or impede their roles (Farrer, Walker,
Harrison, and Banfield, 2018). The success of healing for mental health students mainly depends
on the attitude of the mental health workers. Factors associated with attitude such as negative
attitudes, discrimination and stigmatization of mentally ill patients can greatly impede the nature
of medication provided in psychiatric health centres. On the other hand, factors such as caring
attitude, understanding and respect towards the patients can positively affect their response to
medication and increase the chances of fast healing processes (Hawk and Evans, 2013). The

MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
consequences of attitudes often create better chances of responding positively to medication or
low chances of responses in case of negative attitude.
The healthcare workers play a significant role of changing the public stigma against the
mentally ill using three main strategies (Barret and Walter, 2016). The strategies are; protests,
contact and education. The healthcare workers could use group protests to condemn the hostile
and inaccurate representations of the mentally ill by bringing out positive views about the mental
illnesses. The reactive strategy has been effective in diminishing the negative stereotypes about
mental illnesses but it fails to use facts to support the adoption of positive attitudes thereafter.
The second strategy of educating the public is more effective as it allows for a more informed
decision-making process by members of the public (Kozier, 2014). Recent studies have
established that the individuals that are knowledgeable about the mental illnesses are unlikely to
support discriminatory acts against the mentally ill.
The health workers are thus mandated with the responsibility of providing strategic
information to the members of the public with the aim of lessening the negative stereotypes
against the mentally ill. On this regard, various studies have showed that there are improved
attitudes towards the mentally ill persons exhibited by individuals that participate in educational
programs (Marroco and Krouse, 2017). The final strategy of minimizing the discrimination,
negative stereotypes, and social stigma is contact method. This involves the strategy where the
members of the public are able meet the mentally ill clients that are living normally and
performing their activities of daily living effectively (Haley, 2012). Various studies have pointed
towards an inverse relationship between having a mentally ill contact and supporting social
stigma against the mentally ill individuals. An interpersonal contact can be further enhanced by

MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
creating opportunities for the mentally ill individuals to interact with the general population as
peers or colleagues.
Positive attitude from mental health workers that shows support and love for the mentally
ill patients can help the patients in understanding their health conditions and taking the required
interventions towards a better health (Estes, Calleja, Theobald, and Harvey, 2015). For instance,
if health workers support the patient through counselling and understanding of their health
situations, the environment created will be extremely conducive leading to positive interaction.
Factors such as increased personal contact and improved professionalism when dealing with
mentally ill patients can assist the health workers in getting to know the specific requirements of
the patients. The need to develop an attitude that supports the medical processes used to
diagnose, treat and support mental health patients can help improve the quality of care given to
them leading to enhancement in health (Barret and Walter, 2016). In some instances, mental
health workers have been reported to show negative attitude towards the patients in a mental
health facility.
Conclusion
Significant progress have been made in identifying and understanding mental illness
dimensions to social stigma vis-à-vis the discriminatory behavior and public stereotypes that
affect the ability of the mentally ill to compete effectively for employment. The strategies of
public stigma in this regard has changed calling for the need to be modeled afresh to be more
effective. Most studies have assumed the fact that social stigma against the mentally ill are
inherent in the social structures of the society making it difficult for the mentally ill to fairly and
competitively obtain good employment and lead a quality life. The discrimination, prejudice and
stereotypes affecting the mentally ill in regard to their acquisition of employment is seen in the

MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
social services, judicial systems and the social services at the disposal of the society. The health
workers play a significant role of ensuring that stigmas are curtailed and that the mentally ill are
able to obtain social health services as required.

MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
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