● Physical : ○ Use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs.
● Social :
○ Family struggles. ○ Relationship problems. ○ Social isolation. ○ Missed work. ○ Truancy. ○ Legal problems. ○ Financial problems. ○ Poverty. ○ Homelessness.
○ Self-harm ranging from mild to suicidal tendencies. ○ Harm to others ranging from minor aggressive acts to homicide. ○ Weakened immune system. ○ Heart disease. ○ Other medical conditions.
Consequences of negative attitudes about mental illness The consequences of negative attitudes and stigmas surrounding mental health are varied. One major consequence is that people with mental illness will shy away from seeing a mental health provider. In the last year, roughly 20% of adults with a diagnosable mental disorder saw a mental health provider. This number is staggeringly low and is associated with the embarrassment of reaching out for help. Very few people with a mental illness initially reach out for help when they receive their diagnosis. 12 Embarrassment also causes people to hide their diagnosis from others and try to conceal their symptoms. Untreated symptoms can have a detrimental effect not only on the individual but also on everyone around them. It can impair their ability to connect with others and have meaningful relationships as well as employment and financial stability. Many people who do not receive treatment for more serious mental health issues are often unemployed or live below the poverty line. Few social supports are in place for people who suffer from mental illnesses. Depending upon the geographical location, there may not be any local support groups available. Those without access to community support may resort to unhealthy behaviors to help them cope. Coping with their distress may include developing a dependence on alcohol or drugs, binge eating, smoking, or other unhealthy behaviors. These unhealthy behaviors increase their risk for developing chronic physical health issues, thus reducing the quality and quantity of their life.
help, which often leads to their symptoms either becoming worse over time or adopting unhealthy behaviors to cope. Regardless of all the public prevention efforts in place, the stigma of mental illness remains constant in our society. Another major consequence with stigmatizing mental illness is the lower prioritization of public resources allocated to helping people. When the prevalent belief system is that people who suffer from mental illnesses are dangerous or able to control their actions if they just tried harder, less funding is provided for their support. These social attitudes affect policymakers who are less likely to support increased services for those who suffer from mental illness. Less funding results in poorer quality health care, but it also affects organizations trying to raise money to support people with mental illness. If the public holds negative attitudes toward certain mental illnesses, they are less likely to personally contribute to help them. And if individuals are less likely to contribute, so are businesses because they do not want to be aligned with a giving platform that would dissuade customers from purchasing from them. These negative attitudes and stereotypes of mentally ill people create challenges for those who want to provide more resources to help in the community. Harmful effects of mental illness stigmas include the following: ● Reluctance to seek help or treatment. ● Lack of understanding by others. ● Fewer opportunities. ● Problems at work. ● Problems at school. ● Fewer social activities. ● Substandard or lack of housing. ● Bullying. ● Physical violence. ● Harassment. ● Inadequate health insurance coverage for treatment. Gordon Allport proposed his contact hypothesis in 1954, which suggested that contact between members of different groups, under specific conditions, can work to reduce prejudice and conflict between the dominant and minority group. When people of differing groups connect, they begin to reduce their prejudices through interpersonal contact. Connecting people in this way helps to improve social relationships and decrease social stigmas. This theory is utilized in the In Our Own Voice program developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the United States. This program allows people to share their stories of dealing with mental illness withe the public. Hearing these testimonials opens the eyes of the public regarding the plight of someone dealing with stigmas of mental illness. This program has successfully reduced public stigmas of mental illness.
Because of stigmas surrounding mental illness, people are often fearful to disclose they have a problem. Lack of disclosure prevents people from seeking and receiving adequate treatment and recovery. Because stigmas of mental illness create barriers to successful treatment, people do not immediately seek help when they receive a diagnosis of mental illness. If people seek help right away, they could learn to cope with their illness in a different way and develop strategies for self-advocating. People who develop a mental illness are less likely to seek professional Methods to reduce stigma It is possible to reduce stigmas surrounding mental illness both for the individual and for society. People who suffer from mental illness can learn strategies for coping with the consequences of self-stigmatization. It is important to reiterate that the sufferer is not at fault for their illness. It is essential that people realize mental illness is not just a personality flaw. It is a disease that must be tended to through support and sometimes medication. There are several approaches to reducing self-stigmatization, including various intervention classes, support groups, and cognitive behavioral strategies. Providing education about mental health, cognitive behavioral strategies surrounding the internalization of stigmas, strategies for strengthening family ties and community support, and ways to respond to discrimination are all ways that people can begin to overcome the self-stigmatization of mental illness.
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