Mental Health Stigma Essay

In accordance with the beliefs of scholarly experts in the field, the strong prevalence of stigmas linked to psychological disorders within society cannot be denied. A stigma, in this case, “can best be understood as the loss of status by, or discrimination of, a person because of an attribute that others evaluate disapprovingly” (Saldivia et al., 2104). Individuals who suffer from a mental illness are deeply affected by the judgment of others, often influencing sufferers to avoid seeking treatment in order to avoid public shame and humiliation (Masuda, Price, Anderson, Schmertz & Calamaras, 2009). Some of the most recognized psychological disorders stigmatized within the general population, and even some healthcare circles, include the following:

This rise in stigmatization has ultimately been attributed to “a lower acceptance by a growing middle class of ill-adapted conduct (particularly in big cities), the difficulties the mentally ill have in finding employment, and the negative image transmitted by the media,” along with the globalization of customs that has made it exceedingly difficult for “those who are labeled different” (Guimón, 2010). Hence, due to the negative stigmas of unpredictability and dangerousness, mental illness sufferers are significantly overrepresented among the unemployed and “marginalized persons in the community,” a reality chiefly exhibited by Western societies (Guimón, 2010). As a result of this societal alienation, psychological disorder sufferers are forced to endure a lower quality of life and experience increased emotional distress (Guimón, 2010). A closer examination of the most common psychological disorders and their corresponding stigmas reveals further insight on how illness sufferers are