The Stigma of Mental health
Mental illness can affect people of all ages, from all walks of life. The effects of mental illness are all consuming, often affecting the sufferer’s life completely. Every year around 250,000 people are hospitalised due to mental illness, and over 4,000 people take their own lives. While the awareness of mental ill health issues has increased, it has done nothing to lessen discrimination. This essay will argue that discriminating attitudes and the stigma attached to being mentally ill, has worsened.
You may think with all the awareness raising going on, that discrimination towards the mentally ill would have reduced. Organisations such as Rethink, Mind, and the Mental Health Foundation are actively involved in challenging discrimination. One of the most well known of these organisations is Mind, who campaign to improve policy and attitudes towards people in mental distress. They produce straightforward information leaflets for people with mental health problems, and their carer’s and employers. All these organisations regularly write comments published in many newspapers, and are well respected as authorities on mental health.
The problem lies in the fact, that we need these organisations. A report by Mind into social exclusion and mental health problems, found that discrimination is rife (1999). They found that once people were diagnosed with a mental health condition, they would be labelled as different, and became known as mad people. Ivan Massow, who was the chair of this inquiry, was surprised about the number of ways society excludes people with mental ill health. Another study; ‘Pull yourself together’, done by the Mental Health Foundation found that 70% of those questioned, had experienced discrimination due to their mental health. 56% reported discrimination from family, 51% from friends, and 44% from their doctors (2000). For many, at a time when they are feeling most vulnerable, and need support from family and friends they are not getting it.
This discrimination may to some seem justified, as people in mental distress, are often not seen to be helping themselves get better. Many people experiment with self medication using drugs and alcohol, which while providing short term relief has a detrimental effect in the long term. In today’s meritocratic society (where people are judged on their merits), a common view is that people should take responsibility for themselves, and that society cannot carry the vulnerable. Cognitive behavioural therapy illustrates that a lot can be done by challenging negative thoughts. It could be put forward that people should be able change their own thought patterns, and pull themselves together.
This attitude however is not helpful. While having to deal with their illness and the overwhelming feelings of not being able to cope, people close to them are telling them to snap out of it. Within daily living, people with mental ill health can come across lots of obstacles, which can exacerbate their illness. Obstacles such as being refused insurance or finance because of their mental ill health are commonplace. Insurance companies often charge more because of a client’s medical history. The justice system can also fail people with mental illness, as they are often thought of as unreliable witnesses. It seems that people with mental health problems, are considered unable to make their own decisions, and not taken seriously a lot of the time. According to Hywell Davies, who was a respondent in the Mind inquiry:
“It is easier to live in society with a prison record, than a psychiatric record.”
The media have a big role in contributing to the public’s understanding of mental health. Television programmes, such as Stephen Fry’s account of his experiences of manic depression, have done a lot to inform people about the realities of mental health. Also positive role models, such as Robbie Williams, and Monty Don being open about their experiences can help with demystifying the area of mental health. There have also been many soap opera’s, which have dealt with mental health issues sensitively. Channel four’s Hollyoaks sensitively handled the portrayal of Bombhead’s schizophrenia by illustrating the illness from Bombhead’s perspective. Films such as ‘A beautiful mind’, and television drama’s such as ‘The Illustrated mum’, (based on Jacqueline Wilson’s book) have done a lot to inform people, and raise awareness about mental health issues.
Despite these steps forward, the media is also guilty of portraying mental health negatively. According to a study into people’s attitudes to mental health, by the Department of Health (2000), people are actually becoming more fearful and intolerant of people with mental illness. This study was a result of respondents filling in questionnaires ever year for five years. The media have continually made links between the rise of violence and the rise of care in the community which has greatly contributed to this perception. These connections are unjustified, as although homicides have increased over the last 40 years, the number of homicides committed by people with mental health problems over this period has remained steady. People with mental health problems don’t pose a threat to the general public, and are actually more vulnerable to being victims of crime. Within journalism, especially in the tabloids, there are little or no challenges to the use of words such as psycho, nutter, and loon, which are used regularly. These words may grab the reader’s attention, but they also contribute towards the public’s fear of people with mental ill health.
Moves have been made in other areas to deal with discrimination. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), covers people with long term mental illness. The DDA makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities within employment, as well as the provision of goods services and facilities. It has been most effective in the area of employment, as it’s attempted to redress the discrimination within the workplace. An employer is not able to turn anyone down for employment, or indeed terminate employment due to their mental health. They are expected to make reasonable adjustments, to ensure the person can work there. Many employers’s, especially larger organisations, are taking this on board and have policies in place to support workers with mental health problems.
Unfortunately due to the nature of the illness it is very difficult to prove discrimination due to mental health. There is no real definition of the ‘reasonable adjustment’s’ employer’s have to make. Also the information on what you need to do if you’ve experienced discrimination of this kind is not easily available. For someone at a mental low, the process is likely to appear to be impossible. In relation to employment, the DDA only applies if people are looking for, or are in work. Compared to other disabilities, mental health is the area with the most unemployment.
The Mind inquiry found that 12% of people with mental health problems were in employment, while 4% are looking for work. 84% were not seeking employment, often because of worries about the assumptions that colleagues and employers may have about mental health. Participants in the Mind inquiry mentioned the changing attitudes of colleagues, as soon as they were diagnosed with a problem. Many people do not disclose their illness for fear of being unfairly treated and this fear may well be justified, as 47% of respondents in the ‘Pull yourself together’ survey, reported to have experienced discrimination in the workplace (2000).
Legislation is an area that also affects people with mental health problems. As awareness has risen the Government recognised that mental health legislation needed to be updated. The last time the Mental health act was amended was in 1983, and it was based on the act before in 1959 so Mental health law had stayed fairly the same since the early 19th century. A Government Bill to amend the 1983 Mental Health Act is currently going through Parliament. The proposed bill is mainly about compulsory detention, and addresses the changes in society such as the growth of Community support groups. It aims to improve services and treatment for mentally ill people. One of the main changes to the 1983 act is the introduction of supervised treatment in the community. The Government believe that this will prevent the social exclusion, which comes with long periods of being detained in hospital. To support this they want to broaden the range of professionals who have the right skills and training to support people in the community. Another change is that if someone is detained under this act, they are able to choose their ‘nearest relative’, which can be anyone they choose. Over the eight years the Government have been researching this bill, they have regularly consulted with leading mental health organisations.
Mind, however says the bill is a bill of compulsion and not compassion, and that they have rejected advice from mental health organisations. The bill actually increases the numbers of people, who may be subjected to compulsory mental health treatment. It aims to give more professionals the power to make decisions for people with mental health problems. The bill places lots of importance on protecting the public from so-called dangerous people. One major criticism of the bill is that it addresses the public’s misconception of the link between violence and mental ill health. Mind believes fear of being detained may prevent some people seeking help when they are struggling. This bill may actually make it more difficult for people with mental health problems, to be taken seriously. With the Government appearing to back up myths presented by the media, the myths are reinforced. This bill is not likely to help with the discrimination and stigma that people with mental health problems face.
Looking at the studies done by organisations aiming to reduce discrimination, it seems that the stigma attached to being mentally ill has increased. Within employment the mentally ill are frequently discriminated against, and they often don’t have the strength to challenge the discrimination through the DDA. Many people who are mentally ill are not even trying to get work, as they believe they will be treated unfairly. There are many ways people are discriminated against in society, and this essay has mentioned only a few. The media has an influential role in contributing to beliefs and attitudes about mental illness. Unfortunately while they are raising awareness through some television programmes, they are also adding to the stigma, by constantly linking mental ill health and violence, and by using derogatory words such as ‘nutter’. Although there may now be more awareness about mental health, discriminating attitudes and the stigma attached to being mentally ill has worsened.
References:
Dunn. S (1999) Creating accepting Communities, Report of the Mind inquiry into social exclusion and mental health problems. Mind publications.
Attitudes to mental illness. (2000) Study prepared by Department of Health. Taylor Nelson Sofres plc.
Mental Health Foundation (2000) Pull yourself together.
Mental illness can affect people of all ages, from all walks of life. The effects of mental illness are all consuming, often affecting the sufferer’s life completely. Every year around 250,000 people are hospitalised due to mental illness, and over 4,000 people take their own lives. While the awareness of mental ill health issues has increased, it has done nothing to lessen discrimination. This essay will argue that discriminating attitudes and the stigma attached to being mentally ill, has worsened.
You may think with all the awareness raising going on, that discrimination towards the mentally ill would have reduced. Organisations such as Rethink, Mind, and the Mental Health Foundation are actively involved in challenging discrimination. One of the most well known of these organisations is Mind, who campaign to improve policy and attitudes towards people in mental distress. They produce straightforward information leaflets for people with mental health problems, and their carer’s and employers. All these organisations regularly write comments published in many newspapers, and are well respected as authorities on mental health.
The problem lies in the fact, that we need these organisations. A report by Mind into social exclusion and mental health problems, found that discrimination is rife (1999). They found that once people were diagnosed with a mental health condition, they would be labelled as different, and became known as mad people. Ivan Massow, who was the chair of this inquiry, was surprised about the number of ways society excludes people with mental ill health. Another study; ‘Pull yourself together’, done by the Mental Health Foundation found that 70% of those questioned, had experienced discrimination due to their mental health. 56% reported discrimination from family, 51% from friends, and 44% from their doctors (2000). For many, at a time when they are feeling most vulnerable, and need support from family and friends they are not getting it.
This discrimination may to some seem justified, as people in mental distress, are often not seen to be helping themselves get better. Many people experiment with self medication using drugs and alcohol, which while providing short term relief has a detrimental effect in the long term. In today’s meritocratic society (where people are judged on their merits), a common view is that people should take responsibility for themselves, and that society cannot carry the vulnerable. Cognitive behavioural therapy illustrates that a lot can be done by challenging negative thoughts. It could be put forward that people should be able change their own thought patterns, and pull themselves together.
This attitude however is not helpful. While having to deal with their illness and the overwhelming feelings of not being able to cope, people close to them are telling them to snap out of it. Within daily living, people with mental ill health can come across lots of obstacles, which can exacerbate their illness. Obstacles such as being refused insurance or finance because of their mental ill health are commonplace. Insurance companies often charge more because of a client’s medical history. The justice system can also fail people with mental illness, as they are often thought of as unreliable witnesses. It seems that people with mental health problems, are considered unable to make their own decisions, and not taken seriously a lot of the time. According to Hywell Davies, who was a respondent in the Mind inquiry:
“It is easier to live in society with a prison record, than a psychiatric record.”
The media have a big role in contributing to the public’s understanding of mental health. Television programmes, such as Stephen Fry’s account of his experiences of manic depression, have done a lot to inform people about the realities of mental health. Also positive role models, such as Robbie Williams, and Monty Don being open about their experiences can help with demystifying the area of mental health. There have also been many soap opera’s, which have dealt with mental health issues sensitively. Channel four’s Hollyoaks sensitively handled the portrayal of Bombhead’s schizophrenia by illustrating the illness from Bombhead’s perspective. Films such as ‘A beautiful mind’, and television drama’s such as ‘The Illustrated mum’, (based on Jacqueline Wilson’s book) have done a lot to inform people, and raise awareness about mental health issues.
Despite these steps forward, the media is also guilty of portraying mental health negatively. According to a study into people’s attitudes to mental health, by the Department of Health (2000), people are actually becoming more fearful and intolerant of people with mental illness. This study was a result of respondents filling in questionnaires ever year for five years. The media have continually made links between the rise of violence and the rise of care in the community which has greatly contributed to this perception. These connections are unjustified, as although homicides have increased over the last 40 years, the number of homicides committed by people with mental health problems over this period has remained steady. People with mental health problems don’t pose a threat to the general public, and are actually more vulnerable to being victims of crime. Within journalism, especially in the tabloids, there are little or no challenges to the use of words such as psycho, nutter, and loon, which are used regularly. These words may grab the reader’s attention, but they also contribute towards the public’s fear of people with mental ill health.
Moves have been made in other areas to deal with discrimination. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), covers people with long term mental illness. The DDA makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities within employment, as well as the provision of goods services and facilities. It has been most effective in the area of employment, as it’s attempted to redress the discrimination within the workplace. An employer is not able to turn anyone down for employment, or indeed terminate employment due to their mental health. They are expected to make reasonable adjustments, to ensure the person can work there. Many employers’s, especially larger organisations, are taking this on board and have policies in place to support workers with mental health problems.
Unfortunately due to the nature of the illness it is very difficult to prove discrimination due to mental health. There is no real definition of the ‘reasonable adjustment’s’ employer’s have to make. Also the information on what you need to do if you’ve experienced discrimination of this kind is not easily available. For someone at a mental low, the process is likely to appear to be impossible. In relation to employment, the DDA only applies if people are looking for, or are in work. Compared to other disabilities, mental health is the area with the most unemployment.
The Mind inquiry found that 12% of people with mental health problems were in employment, while 4% are looking for work. 84% were not seeking employment, often because of worries about the assumptions that colleagues and employers may have about mental health. Participants in the Mind inquiry mentioned the changing attitudes of colleagues, as soon as they were diagnosed with a problem. Many people do not disclose their illness for fear of being unfairly treated and this fear may well be justified, as 47% of respondents in the ‘Pull yourself together’ survey, reported to have experienced discrimination in the workplace (2000).
Legislation is an area that also affects people with mental health problems. As awareness has risen the Government recognised that mental health legislation needed to be updated. The last time the Mental health act was amended was in 1983, and it was based on the act before in 1959 so Mental health law had stayed fairly the same since the early 19th century. A Government Bill to amend the 1983 Mental Health Act is currently going through Parliament. The proposed bill is mainly about compulsory detention, and addresses the changes in society such as the growth of Community support groups. It aims to improve services and treatment for mentally ill people. One of the main changes to the 1983 act is the introduction of supervised treatment in the community. The Government believe that this will prevent the social exclusion, which comes with long periods of being detained in hospital. To support this they want to broaden the range of professionals who have the right skills and training to support people in the community. Another change is that if someone is detained under this act, they are able to choose their ‘nearest relative’, which can be anyone they choose. Over the eight years the Government have been researching this bill, they have regularly consulted with leading mental health organisations.
Mind, however says the bill is a bill of compulsion and not compassion, and that they have rejected advice from mental health organisations. The bill actually increases the numbers of people, who may be subjected to compulsory mental health treatment. It aims to give more professionals the power to make decisions for people with mental health problems. The bill places lots of importance on protecting the public from so-called dangerous people. One major criticism of the bill is that it addresses the public’s misconception of the link between violence and mental ill health. Mind believes fear of being detained may prevent some people seeking help when they are struggling. This bill may actually make it more difficult for people with mental health problems, to be taken seriously. With the Government appearing to back up myths presented by the media, the myths are reinforced. This bill is not likely to help with the discrimination and stigma that people with mental health problems face.
Looking at the studies done by organisations aiming to reduce discrimination, it seems that the stigma attached to being mentally ill has increased. Within employment the mentally ill are frequently discriminated against, and they often don’t have the strength to challenge the discrimination through the DDA. Many people who are mentally ill are not even trying to get work, as they believe they will be treated unfairly. There are many ways people are discriminated against in society, and this essay has mentioned only a few. The media has an influential role in contributing to beliefs and attitudes about mental illness. Unfortunately while they are raising awareness through some television programmes, they are also adding to the stigma, by constantly linking mental ill health and violence, and by using derogatory words such as ‘nutter’. Although there may now be more awareness about mental health, discriminating attitudes and the stigma attached to being mentally ill has worsened.
References:
Dunn. S (1999) Creating accepting Communities, Report of the Mind inquiry into social exclusion and mental health problems. Mind publications.
Attitudes to mental illness. (2000) Study prepared by Department of Health. Taylor Nelson Sofres plc.
Mental Health Foundation (2000) Pull yourself together.
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