It's no secret that mental illness is surrounded by stigma. There are many negative terms are used to describe people with mental illness, many of these terms are used in everyday conversation. We are so familiar with them, in fact, that most people have no idea that they. Promoting stigma by having them
Think about some of these common terms: crazy, nuts, wacko, psycho. We use this term to describe people ideas, events, etc., but also to label them with legitimate medical conditions. By referring to people in this way we casually toss them in a group, without really trying to understand them or their disease.
The fact is that 1 in 4 American adults can be diagnosed with a mental illness in a given year. This is 25% of the adult U.S. population. Chances are you know someone who has a mental illness. Studies have shown that people with mental illness can recover faster and better with the support of family and friends. Nevertheless, many people choose to hide their faults from themselves their immediate family members, colleagues and social circles. Why? Because of the stigma.
Stigma makes these people feel ashamed of their condition, anxious, as people's perception of them to change. They are even afraid to know itself, which is why it often takes people so long to seek treatment for a mental illness. If terms like "crazy", "nuts", "wacko" are so prevalent and so on, you can see why someone with an anxiety diagnosis would reveal it.
In this way, stigma hurts an individual already dealing with the pain of a mental illness. But the effect is much greater than just the individual. If someone prevents stigma of seeking help for a mental illness, their illness may become worse. This can affect your family, job or school performance and social networks. If left untreated, a person can lose their job, family and friends. An amazing number of homeless people suffer from mental illness. There is a high degree of mentally ill people in prisons and (mostly on nonviolent charges).
Stigma in our society has a huge impact. At best, it can cause someone to have to suffer in silence with their mental health problem. At its worse, it can lead to job loss, family disruption, homelessness and incarceration. Both extremes are acceptable.
There are many things we can all do to eliminate stigma and a healthier community. First, it is to educate mental health and disorders that affect so many people. Stigma often arises from misunderstandings and fears. Second is to eliminate negative slang terms. Use "people first" language, meaning "a person with schizophrenia," instead of just "crazy." By learning about mental illness and respectful of those with this common medical conditions, we can make great strides to eliminate stigma.
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