Stem Out The Stigma Of Mental Health

982 Words4 Pages
‘Back in 1971 …… Mental health referred only to mental illnesses and mental illnesses were shrouded in such shame and stigma that many people neglected the issue.’ Though much has changed today, the serious stigma and discrimination attached to mental illnesses are still among the most tragic realities facing people with mental illness all over the world. They result in stereotyping, fear, embarrassment, anger and avoidance behaviors. They force people to remain quiet about their mental illnesses, often causing them to delay treatment because of concerns about what their families, friends, children, co-workers and employers will think. In view of the prejudice and discrimination, there is a need to change in order to help them to have a complete and satisfying life. Stigma is the product of superstition, old belief systems, lack of knowledge and empathy, and the sustained distortion by the media. Television or movie characters with aggressive and dangerous behaviors are associated with mental illnesses; "psychos” are killers in popular movies and terms like "lunatic" or "crazy" are often used to joke about the mentally ill. These representations and the use of discriminatory language distort the public’s view and reinforce inaccuracies about mental illness. Thus, educating the public and the media about mental illness is a first step to combat the stigma. In fact, twenty percent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness during their lifetime. Mental illnesses affect people of all ages, educational and income levels, and cultures. . We all have times when we feel depressed, get unreasonably angry or over-excited. For someone with a mental illness, these feelings become enveloping and overwhelming. Mental health problems, just like cancer, arthritis, diabetes and heart attacks, are just health problems. More effort needs to be made to
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