Stigmatization is in psychology the stigmatization of a patient as "mentally ill". After all, for many centuries people with mental disorders were subjected to isolation, persecution, and destruction. The fear of being in such a situation today has remained at the genetic level. Stigma is a very important issue in the field of mental illness today.
What is this?
Every fourth or fifth inhabitant of the planet suffers from mental disorders. And every second person is likely to get sick with these ailments. Depression is in second place after cardiovascular disease. By 2002, depression may lead the list of diseases. Reason is the most precious thing a person can lose, so you need to reconsider your views on mentally ill people.
Causes of stigmatization
- Negative perception of mental illness. So sickattribute aggressiveness, imbalance, unpredictability, danger, the ability to commit a crime.
- Believing in myths and following negative cultural traditions. Violation of the psyche is perceived as a punishment from above.
- Lack of public awareness of the characteristics of mental disorders.
- Negative presentation of information about such patients and their families in the media.
- There is a stereotype that people with a sick psyche are weak, unable to cope with their desires and whims.
- Fear of patients at the subconscious level, supported by stereotypes and traditions.
- Compulsory treatment in Soviet times and errors in diagnosis. Outdated treatments and medicines.
- Lack of decent conditions in psychiatric hospitals.
- Poor funding for clinics, lack of public and government support.
Stigmatization of the mentally ill is a social problem
Stigmatization in psychiatry is the separation of a person from other people by the presence of a psychiatric diagnosis. This phenomenon can be traced in the attitude of doctors towards their patients. Very often there is self-stigmatization of patients. All this leads to discrimination: such individuals are treated with prejudice, they are deprived of their rights and assistance. The stigmatization of the mentally ill is a very serious problem. It is difficult for such people to get a job, they do not want to be accepted into certain social groups, there are difficulties with marriage.
Stigmatization of mental illness is an obstacle to the normal socio-psychological functioning of a person. This is a constant negative situation that occurs in different areas of the patient's life, imposing on him the role of an outcast. In psychology, so far they only make a diagnosis, but little attention is paid to the fight against such a condition.
How does it manifest?
Stigmatization can come from family members, neighbors, medical staff, others. Professionals can treat patients disrespectfully, formally, with demonstrative condescension, address the patient as "you", regardless of age. Relatives of such a person begin to overly control.
There are three stages of self-stigmatization in the family:
- At first, everyone tries to hide the fact of a relative's illness by limiting the sufferer's social contacts.
- If the patient begins to behave unusually, family members cannot hide information about his problem. It's a critical time to adapt at home.
- The last stage is the final isolation of the whole family, opposing oneself to others, accepting the role of an “outcast”.
Emotions experienced by a mentally ill person
- A strong sense of fear. It seems to the patient that he does not have enough information about what is happening to him.
- Irresistible sense of shame. The patient feels different.
- Helplessness. Everything that used to be easy for him, nowit turns out with difficulty: you have to strain your memory, absent-mindedness occurs, the reaction slows down.
- Deprivation and despair. As a result of all this, people with mental disorders themselves leave communication, ahead of society. Patients begin to avoid doctors, do not know who to trust, where to look for help.
Degrees of attitude of others
- Society is condescending towards people who express absurd and crazy ideas.
- Great stigma is shown towards family members of a mentally ill person.
- On the next step are individuals with non-standard behavior, speech, appearance.
- Stigma intensifies towards socially isolated patients.
- Society shuns people who have been treated in a psychiatric hospital.
Mental illnesses and reactions to them
- Epilepsy. Patients with this disease are treated with kindness, sympathy and understanding.
- Depression and neurosis. Society does not take such illnesses seriously enough. Many underestimate the present state of depressed people and do not consider them sick.
- Dementia. He is treated with tolerance and condescension.
- Schizophrenia. Most of this disease is negative.
-
senile dementia. Older people are most often respected, but their actions are limited.
stigmatization of the mentally ill
No one is immune to mental illness
Still worth itLet me remind you once again that stigmatization is labeling like "abnormal", "mad". But it doesn't take much to get mentally ill. Many people remember Chekhov's story "Ward number 6" from school years, and recently director Karen Shakhnazarov made a film based on this work. It is worth remembering M. F. Dostoevsky, who suffered from schizophrenia, and his stories: "Notes of a Madman", "Notes from a Madhouse". Many have heard about the Kandinsky syndrome, which the famous psychiatrist was able to describe after he himself fell ill with this ailment. Unfortunately, today stigmatization in psychiatry is often observed. This is because society is not well informed about these issues.
How to destigmatize
- Outreach through the media.
- Carefully train medical professionals. They should know and remember that it is their professional duty to destigmatize the mentally ill.
- Prevent misinformation about this pathology.
- The emphasis should be on the personality of the patient, and not on the disease itself. Society should know that a mentally ill person also has feelings, needs, a set of ethical and moral standards.
- Do not allow slang elements such as "glitch", "madhouse", "psychiatric hospital" when talking with patients.
- Professionals should not disclose information that violates confidentialityinformation about a particular patient.
- The most modern way to inform today is the Internet.
It should be remembered that stigma is a stigma. Therefore, everything possible must be done to make people with such a diagnosis feel as comfortable as possible in society.
