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Stigma
Mental illness can strike anyone! It knows no age limits, economic
status, race, creed or color. During the course of a year, more
than 54 million Americans are affected by one or more mental disorders.
Researchers have determined that many mental illnesses are probably
the result of chemical imbalances in the brain. These imbalances
may be inherited, or may develop because of excessive stress or
substance abuse.
It is sometimes easy to forget that our brain, like all of our
other organs, is vulnerable to disease. People with mental illnesses
often exhibit many types of behaviors such as extreme sadness
and irritability, and in more severe cases, they may also suffer
from hallucinations and total withdrawal. Instead of receiving
compassion and acceptance, people with mental illnesses may experience
hostility, discrimination, and stigma.
 Why Does
Stigma Exist?
Unfortunately the media is responsible for many of the misconceptions,
which persist about people with mental illnesses.
Newspapers, in particular, often stress a history of mental illness
in the backgrounds of people who commit crimes of violence. Television
news programs frequently sensationalize crime where people with
mental illnesses are involved.
Comedians make fun of people with mental illnesses, using their
disabilities as a source of humor.
Ironically, the media also offers our best hope for eradicating
stigma because of its power to educate and influence public opinion.
How Can
You Combat Stigma?
- Share your personal experience with mental illness. Your story
can convey to others that having a mental illness is nothing
to be ashamed of.
- Help people with mental illness re-enter society. Support
their efforts to obtain housing and jobs.
- Respond to false statements about or images of people with
mental illness. Many people have wrong and damaging ideas on
the subject. Accurate facts and information may help change
both their ideas and actions.
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