World Mental Health Day: The Stigma

 Prof. (Dr.) Karuna Hazarika

(Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent, Tezpur Medical College & Hospital. He can be reached at drkaruna97@gmail.com.

October 10th is World Mental Health Day. Like every year, this year we are going to celebrate World Mental Health Day with the theme “Mental health is a universal human right” and will be the topic of World Mental Health Day in 2023. In order to protect everyone’s mental health without stigma, this topic acknowledges that mental health is a concern for all people. In order to promote better mental health for everyone, World Mental Health Day aims to increase awareness of the topic. Additionally, it provides an opportunity to discuss mental health, how to care for it, and how crucial it is to get assistance if you need it. Holding a talk or seminar will allow us to come together with friends, family, or coworkers on this World Mental Health Day. Worldwide, the ribbon colour associated with mental health awareness is green. It stands for mental illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder, and others. The colour green represents the ongoing efforts to raise awareness of mental health issues and combat the stigma that is frequently associated with them. The most concerning and pathetic part of society today is the stigma as a hindrance to treating or giving care to mentally disturbed people, even in the twenty-first century. A stigma is an unfavourable and frequently negative societal attitude that is associated with an individual or group, frequently demeaning them for some perceived shortcoming or distinction in their existence.

Stigma can be applied by individuals or groups to persons who live a particular way, have particular cultural values, or adopt a particular lifestyle, as well as to those who have certain medical disorders, such as mental diseases. Family, friends, coworkers, and society at large can all exert pressure on people due to the stigma associated with mental illness. Groups have the power to politicise stigma. It may make it more difficult for those who are suffering from mental illness to seek support, integrate into society, and live happy and comfortable lives. Stereotypes, which are frequently untrue, unfavourable, and unpleasant depictions of entire groups of people, can contribute to the stigma around mental health. They enable a person to quickly assess people based on a few defining traits, and then they generalise their conclusions to include everyone in that group.

The stigma associated with mental illness can stem from a variety of places, including personal, social, and family views as well as from the illness itself, which may lead a person to behave differently than is regarded as the social or cultural norm. A number of things, such as ignorance, preconceptions, and fear of people with mental illnesses, can contribute to increased stigma.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, nearly 9 out of 10 people with mental illnesses believe stigma and prejudice have a detrimental impact on their lives. They assert that those with mental health concerns have some of the lowest rates of employment, long-term relationships, good housing, and social inclusion of any group of individuals with a chronic illness or disability. The stigma associated with having a mental health problem can exacerbate symptoms and make recovery more difficult. Living with stigma may also make a person less likely to seek treatment.

Stigma may not always be visibly displayed or articulated through grand gestures. It might manifest itself through the language people use to describe mental illnesses or those who have them. When nasty, disrespectful, or dismissive language is used in this way, it can be upsetting for individuals to hear it. As a result, individuals could feel alone and as though no one could understand what they were going through. What we see as the effects of stigma on people who are mentally ill or the consequences of stigma can include: internalising harmful beliefs, social exclusion, low self-esteem, hopelessness, embarrassment, evading treatment, symptoms deteriorating, the absence of criminal justice, workplace discrimination, unemployment, etc.

Discrimination and stigmatisation usually make it more difficult to receive treatment and cause symptoms to worsen. A recent publication revealed that self-stigma has a detrimental impact on recovery for those with serious mental conditions. Reduced hope, lower self-esteem, greater psychiatric symptoms, difficulties with social interactions, a lower likelihood of sticking with therapy, and more challenges at work are some possible outcomes. Other vital negative effects of stigma, which are prevalent now, include: reluctance to seek help or treatment and a decreased likelihood of sticking with treatment; social isolation; a lack of understanding by family, friends, coworkers, or others; fewer opportunities for work, school, or social activities; difficulty finding housing; bullying, physical violence, or harassment; inadequate coverage for your mental illness treatment by health insurance; and the conviction that you’ll never succeed at anything.

Since the bulk of stigma stems from a lack of understanding and unfounded fear, public education to enhance knowledge about mental illness is essential. When learning that a friend, family member, or coworker is coping with a mental illness, it is crucial to check trustworthy sources of information on mental health issues and gain more knowledge. A person with a mental disorder can actively participate in their treatment on an individual basis. If they believe that stigma affects their capacity to deal with day-to-day situations like jobs, housing, or healthcare, they might also think about getting help from the legal side.

Unfortunately, more than half of those suffering from mental illness do not obtain treatment. People frequently put off or postpone seeking therapy out of fear of being treated unfairly or out of concern for their livelihood. This is due to the fact that stigma, discrimination, and prejudice against those who have mental illnesses are still major issues.

No matter how blatant or subtle stigma, prejudice, and discrimination are towards those who have mental illnesses, they all have the potential to be harmful. Understanding how stigma and discrimination towards people with mental illness manifest themselves and how to address and end it can be helpful.

Various stigmatization categories that are prevalent in society include: Public stigma is defined as people’s negative or discriminatory perceptions of mental illness; self-stigma is defined as the negative perceptions that people with mental illness hold about their own illness, including internalised shame; and institutional stigma is a more pervasive type of stigma that refers to the laws and practices of public and private institutions that either deliberately or unintentionally restrict opportunities for those with mental illnesses. Examples include fewer mental health services compared to other types of medical care, fewer resources for research into mental disease, etc.

The stigma not only negatively impacts those who have mental illness but also those who support them, frequently their family members. The stigma associated with mental illness is a problem in some diverse racial and ethnic communities and can make it very difficult for members of those groups to receive mental health services due to a lack of knowledge and awareness.

We should be very careful while dealing with a mentally ill person in every step and need to be honest while discussing mental health, for instance, by posting on social media. We need to educate both ourselves and others and address misunderstandings or unfavourable remarks with facts and personal anecdotes. We should be very mindful of our language and remind others that what we say matters. One has to look to promote parity between physical and mental illness and compare treatment to that given to those suffering from diabetes, cancer, etc. We have to understand those who suffer from mental illness. There is a need to be open and honest about the therapy and normalise mental health treatment on par with regular medical procedures.

People frequently experience challenging times in their lives without any relief. How many of us have actually sought therapy for it, though? The figures are pitifully low. Most people prefer to ignore their concerns rather than seek treatment because they don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss their mental health issues with even their closest friends and family, much less with a therapist. This has a lot to do with the stigma associated with mental diseases, which has been difficult to overcome in our society. We are concerned about how our family and friends will perceive us and worry that they will call us crazy or mental. Irony is that this modern society can afford to create so many comforts and capabilities for us. People can reach the moon, start expeditions to the sun, and whatnot. We have almost conquered the latest pandemic through vaccination on a large scale. But we often fail to understand what is closest to us. We fail to care for those who are dearer and closer to us and require special attention for their livelihood and peace of mind.