Mental Health and Societal Stigma

This assignment delves into the complex issue of mental health stigma within society. It examines common misconceptions and assumptions surrounding serious mental health problems and violence. The readings explore the psychological and societal factors contributing to stigma, including political attitudes and the pursuit of normalcy versus solidarity. Additionally, the assignment highlights the importance of reducing stigma through interventions, recovery principles, and promoting understanding of mental health challenges.

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DIAGNOSES OF MENTAL ILLNESSES
Bipolar Disorder
This is a mental disorder that causes a variation in an individual’s mood whereby they
experience periods of sadness and periods of great elation (mania or hypomania).
Signs and Symptoms:
 During mania individuals are highly energetic, usually excited and may be very
productive. There is, however, the risk of quick decision making without clearly
evaluating their consequences.
 Lack of sleep
 Delusional- holding beliefs that contradict to reality
 Hallucinations- describes experiencing sensations that only exist in the patients’ minds
 Psychosis- patients perceive things differently from other people around them
Depression
This describes a feeling of sadness for a long period of time for example weeks, months or even
years and sometimes with no apparent reason. A diagnosis can take weeks and it is important to
rule out general medical issues since some conditions such as vitamin deficiency share the
symptoms of depression.
Signs and Symptoms of Depression:
o Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
o Appetite variations
o Loss or gain in weight disparate from dieting
o Fatigue
o Lack of sleep
o Difficulty in concentration
o Suicide thoughts
Schizophrenia
It is a severe mental disorder that affects an individual’s thinking, behavior and feelings.

Signs and Symptoms:
 Psychosis
 Disorderly movements
 Trouble focusing
 Reduced expression of emotions through speaking and facial expressions
 Hallucinations
 Delusions
Anxiety Disorders
These are feelings of dread over anticipated activities.
Signs and Symptoms:
 Excessive worry over everything for a long period of time
 Fatigue as a result of restlessness
 Trouble sleeping
 Overwhelming and disruptive fear
 Muscle tension which includes flexing muscles regularly and jaw clenching
 Problems in concentration
 Chronic indigestion characterized by Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), in which
individuals experience stomachaches, cramping, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea
 Panic attacks; a sudden gripby fear that can last several moments
 Stage fright
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
In this case, the patient experiences uncontrolled re-occurring thoughts (obsessions) and patterns
of behavior (compulsions).
Signs and Symptoms:
Lack of concentration due to excessive thoughts or actions
Repeated checks on activities already carried out

Irresistible fear
Aggressiveness towards others or oneself
Overwhelming need for perfection for example, always arranging items in a particular,
precise way.
STIGMATIZING BELIEFS
Violence
In most societies, it is believed that mentally ill patients are threatening and dangerous to other
people around them. They are viewed as being unpredictable and thus they are treated differently
from other individuals (Ahonen et al., 2017). These beliefs, however,do not have any factual
basis to support them. Even people without mental disabilities could be violent depending on the
situation and their personalities. This interpretation makes the patients feel different and
discriminated, especially if other people act in accordance with it.
Demonic or Spirit possession:
Some societies still hold the belief that individuals with mental illnesses are possessed by an evil
spirit. This gives rise to fear and caution by other people thus discrimination of the affected ones.
Medical Facilities for mental Health Problems
The mental health facilities are set up in such a way that suggests these illnesses are different
from other medical conditions and could lead to physical dysfunction.
Controllability
Many people believe that most mental and personal disorders are within the individual’s personal
control. If the patient does not get better on their own therefore, they are considered weak or
lacking personal effort and are therefore blamed for their misfortunes (Gronholm et al, 2017).
Concealability

This refers to the visibility of the symptoms of a mental disorder. In this case, mental health
problems that do not have easily discernible signs and symptoms such as depression are
disregarded as people believe that they are not as serious as the ones with straightforward
indicators. These individuals therefore feel discarded and not cared for.
Managing Stigma
Societal Education:
Social workers should try as much as possible to edify the members of the society on exactly
what mental disorders, their types, symptoms and how to care for mentally ill individuals. They
should clarify that people with mental health problems are not responsible for their conditions
and therefore should be aided rather than blamed for those conditions (Glajz et al., 2017).
The social workers should also continuously campaign against the beliefs held on mental
illnesses and urge people to come forward or seek for help for themselves and their loved ones as
soon as they suspect they have a mental disorder (MacDonald-Wilson et al., 2017). They can
launch a campaign through social media to each as many people as possible with the aim of
challenge people’s beliefs on mental disorders.
PSYCHIATRIC REHABILITATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES
These are a set of rules and standards that can be applied to certain situations for achievement of
goals and reflection of the operations of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation field. These principles
include:
Individualization of all Services:
This refers to focusing on the individual client’s needs and desires. Indra’s personal wishes
should be observed more keenly and the mental health facility should discourage him from
alcohol consumption to facilitate his recovery.
Strengths Focus
The psychiatric practitioners at Community Mental Health Intervention Team (COMIT) should
focus on Indra’s abilities, for example the fact that he wants to be financially independent and

move on with his life and help him in doing this rather than paying too much attention to his
alcohol consumption.
Situational Assessments
These valuations focus on the client’s personal goals and therefore are more effective than global
assessments that do not relate to the individual’s specific goals.
Treatment/Rehabilitation Integration
COMIT should view Indra as a complex individual and take into account all aspects of his life
affected by the rehabilitation process. It should especially focus on rehabilitation which aids in
overcoming barriers and pursuing one’s dreams as opposed to treatment which is a mere relief in
the symptoms experienced.
Coordinated Ongoing Assessments
In Indra’s case there is a stipulated time in which he should move out of his brother’s flat.
COMIT should not let him make such a decision since rehabilitation is an ongoing process and
requires time to heal. His family should also encourage him to be patient and focus on his
rehabilitation process.
VALUES OF PSYCHIATRIC REHABILITATION
Optimism
The service providers should be hopeful regarding their client’s recovery (Hutchison, et al.,
2017). In Indra’s situation, his family and his practitioner should be expectant for better results
and discourage him from taking comfort in alcohol.
Capacity to Learn and Grow
Another value of psychiatric rehabilitation is the belief that everyone has the capacity to be
better. COMIT and Indra’s household members should motivate him to acquire new enjoyable
skills that will keep him busy and probably b ring him some income as a way of showing him
that he can be more productive and enabling him avoid alcohol consumption.
Respect and Dignity Preservation

Rehabilitation facilities should understand that the illnesses do not make the patients less human
(Priester, et al, 2016). Indra’s sister and brother should politely explain to Indra the effects of
alcohol on his recovery and aid him in pursuing his goals instead of quarrelling.
GUIDANCE TO REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES
Acceptance
The first step that Diana should take to rehabilitation is accepting that she is ill. She is only
interested in getting her job back meaning that she does not realize how serious her condition is
or she does not care. Admitting that she needs recovery more than a job would be an important
step towards Diana’s restoration (Thoits, 2016). This can be achieved by enabling her to
understand the difference between her symptoms and her true self, which would bring to light
her mental status.
Engaging other people
These include friends and family members who can help her spot symptoms that she cannot
identify on her own and support her through her rehabilitation process (Koslowski et al., 2016).
Healthy lifestyle
Now that she is no longer busy working, Diana should focus on building a healthy lifestyle such
as exercising and eating healthy meals which would facilitate her recovery process. She should
reduce her worry about getting her job back and put all her energy into recovery, which would
probably bring to light other opportunities and help her identify other enjoyable hobbies or
acquire new skills and techniques.
Programme Options
Diana should talk with the psychiatric medical social worker about her disinterest in the
programme in order to have suggestions for other options that would better contribute to
regaining her health and have a better experience (McGurk et al., 2017). The best programme for
her would be one that is enjoyable to her and in which she is actively involved. It should also
portray the capability of her gaining new skills and acquiring knowledge that would enable her
get another occupation after recovery. Alternatively, it should have the ability to aid her in
further building her career in case there is a chance of re-acquiring her previous employment.

REFERENCES
Ahonen, L., Loeber, R., & Brent, D. A. (2017). The Association Between Serious Mental Health
Problems and Violence: Some Common Assumptions and Misconceptions. Trauma,
Violence, & Abuse, 1524838017726423.
Corrigan, P. W. (2016). Resolving mental illness stigma: should we seek normalcy or solidarity?.
DeLuca, J. S., & Yanos, P. T. (2016). Managing the terror of a dangerous world: Political
attitudes as predictors of mental health stigma. International journal of social
psychiatry, 62(1), 21-30.
Hutchison, S. L., MacDonald-Wilson, K. L., Karpov, I., Maise, A. M., Wasilchak, D., &
Schuster, J. M. (2017). Value of psychiatric rehabilitation in a behavioral health
medicaid managed care system. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 40(2), 216.
Gronholm, P. C., Thornicroft, G., Laurens, K. R., & Evans-Lacko, S. (2017). Mental health-
related stigma and pathways to care for people at risk of psychotic disorders or
experiencing first-episode psychosis: a systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 1-
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Glajz, B. A. Deane, F. P., Deane, F. P., Williams, V., & Williams, V. (2017). Mental health
workers’ values and their congruency with recovery principles. The Journal of Mental
Health Training, Education and Practice, 12(1), 1-12.
McGurk, S. R., Mueser, K. T., Watkins, M. A., Dalton, C. M., & Deutsch, H. (2017). The
feasibility of implementing cognitive remediation for work in community based
psychiatric rehabilitation programs. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 40(1), 79.
MacDonald-Wilson, K. L., Hutchison, S. L., Karpov, I., Wittman, P., & Deegan, P. E. (2017). A
Successful Implementation Strategy to Support Adoption of Decision Making in
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Koslowski, N., Klein, K., Arnold, K., Kösters, M., Schützwohl, M., Salize, H. J., & Puschner, B.
(2016). Effectiveness of interventions for adults with mild to moderate intellectual
disabilities and mental health problems: systematic review and meta-analysis. The
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Priester, M. A., Browne, T., Iachini, A., Clone, S., DeHart, D., & Seay, K. D. (2016). Treatment
access barriers and disparities among individuals with co-occurring mental health and
substance use disorders: An integrative literature review. Journal of substance abuse
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Thoits, P. A. (2016). “I’m Not Mentally Ill” Identity Deflection as a Form of Stigma
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Yeh, M. A., Jewell, R. D., & Thomas, V. L. (2017). The Stigma of Mental Illness: Using
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