Essay On Public Stigma

964 Words4 Pages

Introduction People living with mental illness are faced with more than one problem. On one hand they are challenged with the symptoms and effects of their illness. On the other hand they are struggling with negative effects of stigma. (...) defines stigma as a mark for disgrace that set a person apart from the rest. People living with mental illness experience many different types of stigma, such as public stigma, self stigma and structural stigma. This paper aims to explore the beliefs of public towards persons with mental illness and the beliefs internalized by persons with the illness. The impact stigma has on the lives of the people living with mental illness. Lastly, consider the steps that can be taken to eradicate stigma. Public stigma According to Rogers & Pilgrim (2009) the …show more content…

According to (...) person living with mental illness may begin to internalise mental illness stigmas and stereotypes. This means that mentally ill people start to see themselves in the light of the stereotypes of society. As a result they may begin to feel shame, low self-esteem and develop feelings of incompetence. According to (...) the prejudice and discrimination that persons with mental illness experience in public can lower their self-esteem and sense of identity. They begin to think of themselves as worthless and feel as though they do not belong into society. They assume that society does not value them and in turn start discredits themselves. This may lead to mentally ill people living in isolation and withdrawing from society. (...) states that this can increase isolation from society and reinforce feelings of exclusion and social withdrawal. In trying to avoid being discriminated some people may deny or hide their mental illness or refuse to seek help. Similarly Roger states that "the stigmatised people are often excluded from their social groups which can lead to