Stigma And Mental Illness Assignment

Student Name
INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION(S)
SOCIAL WORK

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Essay
Introduction
Stigma can pervade people’s lives particularly the ones facing mental illness. This
includes being rejected for opportunities like accommodation or employment due to mental
illness. Stigma arising due to social distance is also observed where people unwillingly
associate with others who face mental illness (Hungerford 2018). When society characterises
a person or a group, unexpected behaviour or discomfort is created which often leads to the
generalised connection between mental illness and abnormal behaviour resulting in avoidance
and labelling. This makes a very detrimental impact on the person suffering from mental
illness and they remain exposed to physical health issues along with other health-related
diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (Ahmedani 2011, pp. 1-2). In
this light, this essay will identify how stigma influences recovery for people with mental
illness.
One of the most catastrophic influences of stigma on mental illness is that it can
potentially endanger the self-esteem of the person. The stigma of mental illness can develop
such an illness where people start feeling of their failure rather than showing positivity
towards life. According to Avdibegović & Hasanović (2017), “The effects of stigma are
often subtle and spread through many areas of a person’s life” (p.900). Indeed, stigma affects
people by mechanisms like direct discrimination and refusal to appoint to do something.
Structural discrimination is also seen in some places where social psychological processes
stigmatize people's perception of themselves. Recovery, on the other hand, refers to the
subjective experience of empowerment, optimism and interpersonal support which
emphasises upon collaborative treatment approach and find alternative productive means to

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support and reduce stigma (Ahmedani 2011). However, Lucksted & Drapalski (2015) argues
that proximal effects of stigma have potential deferred consequences which subside the
pursuit of life goals from the mentally ill person, reduce community participation in them and
hinders social relationships (p.99). When a person belongs to a stigmatised group, internal
messages proves to be very impactful and are not possible to be avoided completely.
Therefore, people find recovery process drawn-out.
Stigma and discrimination often become internalised which leads to the development
of self-stigma in people which means, people with mental illness start believing negatively
about themselves and in turn, think that they might never be able to recover. As a result, such
negative thought leads them to feel the inability to attain their goals, feel shameful and
experience lowered self-esteem. Self-stigma can also develop the question within oneself
'why try?' where the person might think they will never recover or come go back to normal
life (Lucksted & Drapalski 2015, pp. 100-101). Stigma can also be linked to the ignorance
where a research made by Parle (2012) show that most of the common public do not have
appropriate knowledge about mental illness due to which they have often remain factually
incorrect. However, the author claim that some indications can be seen regarding public
opinion on stigma where they had turned positive and suggest greater understanding and
tolerance towards a mentally ill person as compared to previous years. But then, such
findings have been presented with much care and with the help of professionals only.
Poor physical care provided to a person with mental illness is one of the consequences
which is driven out of stigmatization. The person with mental disability is often reported as a
barrier in healthcare facility and as a result, their physical care is not met adequately. Another
issue is related to unconscious biases and lack of awareness which influences hidden beliefs
that can underline stigma-like attitude among mental health workers. Research suggests that
healthcare providers usually show a pessimist view towards mentally ill patients and