Stigma! What i can do about?

What is Stigma?

Stigma refers to anything negative that society, or as individuals we apply to a characteristic, illness or anything else associating it with feelings of shame, guilt, or the desire to hide it away. There are various characteristics upon which stigma is based such as sexual orientation, religious views, mental health conditions like psychosis, race and ethnic origin.

The different forms of Stigma

Prejudice: this is when a person is pre-judged before you know anything about them

Misconceptions:  these are widely-held beliefs which are false. it is an idea that is wrong because it has been based on a failure to understand a situation. 

Stereotyping: this is painting everyone with the same brush such as the belief that people with mental health conditions should be treated as one treats a child.

Discrimination

What is Discrimination?

Whilst stigma is about perceptions and attitudes people have towards others, discrimination is about actions people do to cement or validate those attitudes e.g. people are treated differently based on stigma attached to them or are excluded from activities “normal people” are allowed to participate in e.g. cooking for the family, going to school, getting employed. Would you employ a person who has recovered? Or live them to play with your young children alone?

In short stigmatized people can be treated unfairly based on incorrect beliefs held by the public and society.

Effects of Stigma on persons with Psychosis

Stigma on people with Psychosis can be particularly harmful. Researchers and service providers around the world have noticed that the stigma surrounding what people think of when they hear “psychosis” may actually be more harmful to recovery than the symptoms of psychosis themselves. Stigma negatively affects both the person with the illness and their family, their family may respond to community stigma by stigmatizing their own relative e.g. hiding the ill person when visitors come.

Some of the issues that come up because of stigma within communities

• Can’t talk about mental illness with some friends and family
• Stressful telling people
• You don’t tell people when actually you want them to know and talk about it 
• You feel judged and people are intrusive
• Feel emotionally abused 
• Become isolated as friends disappear 
• Poor housing in rough areas makes service users feel unsafe, 
• Prevents people seeking support
• Lose your job 
• Makes it more difficult to accept that you have a mental illness

Stigma reduction strategies

There are 3 main strategies used to reduce stigma and these are explained below in detail.

Education: this involves community awareness raising about the true nature of psychosis and treatments available. Communities should be made to understand that anyone can develop psychosis and that treatment is available enabling people to recover or manage the illness allowing for returning back to live as normal a life as possible . 

Contact: creating platforms for people who have and or recovered from psychosis interact with communities to dispel myths and impaired social, cognitive and their functioning attached to people with psychosis. Using Champions/ role models (Only under certain conditions Equal status, the opportunity for individuals to get to know each, other Information which challenges negative stereotypes, Active co-operation, Pursuit of a mutual goals)

Protest: This should not be confused with political protest or demonstration, mental health protest is about advocating for people with mental health conditions by using actions that suppress stigma and discrimination. e.g. speaking out when you see a person chained to a tree or being excluded from community activities based on stigmatizing beliefs.