Editorial: Mental Illness & Stigma
Christina Santiago
July 11, 2004
Crazy. Psychotic. Insane. These words are flippantly used in the media to describe people with mental illness. In a world that is focused on being politically correct, somehow people with mental illness have been left out of this nicety. Schizophrenic. Manic Depressive. The media appears to be diagnosing people without credentials by using these words in their reports to validate why people have behaved in a certain way. If those who report the supposed “news” would take the time to look into the DSM IV diagnostic manual they would see that their version of diagnosis is biased and has no basis. A study of daytime television revealed that 72% of the time shows depicted people with mental illness as “confused”, “aggressive”, “dangerous”, and “unpredictable” (Granello 99). The reality is that people with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of a violent act than the perpetrator (Bradley 81).
Maniac. Nuts. These words have permeated our everyday language to the point that we use these words without the thought of the stigma it bears for people who are dealing with mental illness. The above mentioned words send this message to the world about people with mental illness: they cannot take care of themselves, they are dangerous, and they are not like “normal” people. This could not be further from the truth. In the past 8 years that I have worked with adults and children with mental illness, I have come to see that people with mental illness are simply one thing: people. They want to have fulfilling lives, fall in love, go to church, and be part of society.
Dangerous. Wacko. As people, we all have the same propensity for violence. This means that people, with mental illness or not, have the same probability of committing violent acts (Bradley 82). However, whenever someone does commit a violent act, they are automatically classified in the media as “mentally ill” or “psychotic”. In fact, only 6% of the prison population has a mental illness that meets diagnostic criteria (Granello 99).
Coping. Survivor. These are terms that come to my mind when I think of people with mental illness. Not only do they have to deal with the daily management of symptoms, whether it is medication or therapy, they have to live in a world that automatically judges them. If I mention to someone that I have heart disease, people may make some comment, usually of the “that’s too bad” type. Basically it will be an issue that is accepted and passed over. However, if I were to mention that I have been diagnosed with depression, the comments may become overwhelming. “You need to get over it”, “get a positive attitude” “things will get better” “if only you had God in your life” “depression is another excuse for lazy”. Last I checked the brain and heart were both organs. In fact, more people suffer from mental disorders in the United States than people with cardiovascular disease (Bradley 81). Unfortunately, a defect in one organ is seen as beyond a person’s control, while the other is some how a person’s fault.
Change needs to occur within our society in order for stigma to decrease. First, people need to protest television programs and media that depict people with mental illness in a demeaning way. This is the form of information that people most readily derive information about people with mental illness, thus being the most potent of forms. Next, people who work with people with mental illness need to check themselves about how they think, talk, and depict their clients to others, including the client. The most significant education to communities and individuals about people with mental illness comes from the service providers who work with this population (Bradley 84).
As a society, we need to rethink and become aware of how we refer to and treat people with mental illness. In our lifetime, 20% of all people with suffer some type of mental illness, whether it is depression, schizophrenia, or an anxiety disorder (Granello 99). Keeping this is mind and knowing that mental illness is not written on someone’s forehead, we are unaware of who among us may be dealing with one of those conditions. Always remember that the “wacko” or “psycho” is someone’s mother, brother, wife, cousin. They are someone who is loved and deserves love and respect like everyone else.
References
Bradley, Loretta; Brown, Kaylene. 2002, January. Reducing the stigma of mental illness.
Journal of Mental Health Counseling, Volume 24, pgs 81-87.
Granello, Darcy Haag; Pauley, Pamela S.; Carmicheal, Ann. 1999, December.
Relationship of the media to attitudes toward people with mental illness. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education, & Development, Volume 38, 98-111.