Why does mental health have stigma that creates barriers for people that want to seek for help and care?
It is unfortunate that negative beliefs and attitudes toward mental health are common. When a person experiences a mental illness it can be tough for others and themselves to understand what that person is going through, or how anyone can help. In a worst case scenario, instead of helping the individual, assumptions are made towards them. They will likely be labeled as uncanny, odd, and even dangerous. Moreover, they might be treated differently from how others are treated and that’s all because of their mental illness. This is what we call stigma.
Findings from the Study:
In Psychiatry Research (Vol. 219, Issue 1 written by Eric R. Pedersen and Andrew P. Paves on September 30, 2014), “Comparing perceived public stigma and personal stigma of mental health treatment seeking in a young adult sample,” a study was designed to examine the inconsistency between perceived public stigma and personal stigma. The study used a sample of 386 White and Asian college students and required them to complete surveys of many kinds, relating to mental health. Derived from the study, the authors found that perceived public stigma is more prevalence than personal stigma. However, the findings of this study present implications for any organization or program to help encourage young people to utilize mental health services and care. Despite the importance of mental health disorders and clinically significant symptoms, the authors said that “young adults are unlikely to seek mental health care for such concerns.” In evidence, 47% of 5000 young adults (both college- and non-college-attending) met standards for a mental health disorder, and only one-fifth of those made use of mental health treatment services.
Does stigma exist?
Public stigma comes from others (i.e. people would view you negatively if you sought professional help) and it functions as a huge barrier to mental health treatment. As I read the article, I found a very interesting argument stating that, “while youth may perceive that others would view them negatively if they sought treatment, it is not clear if these perceptions are accurate.” That new discovery is the reason behind this particular study, to compare perceived public stigma with personal stigma. This statement has changed my perspective of public stigma on mental health. I used to think that mental health was stigmatized but now, I know that public stigma may have been overestimated against people’s treatment. This “stigma” actually has more to do with the individual’s personal negative attitudes and beliefs against themselves.
Public stigma has been blown out of the proportion, and it’s led people to feel embarrassed or scared to ask for help. When asked, participants of this study responded that they would NOT view a struggling individual negatively if they sought treatment. Derived from the result, “57.1% of participants reported means at 2.50 or less indicating disagreement that others would view someone negatively.” That outcome indicates that public stigma have been exaggerate because no person is intended to view someone as less if they have a mental disorder. This evidence from the study expands my thoughts on stigma on mental health. As a person struggling with depression and anxiety, I know what it feels like to think that you are not accepted by people around you. The following statistic data from the study reveals an interesting fact on perceived public and personal stigma:
“While approximately one-third of participants believed that their peers would treat them differently if they sought mental health treatment, three-fourths reported they would not treat a peer differently if they sought treatment.”
These participants have the impression that they cannot seek treatment without being treated like they aren’t normal. However, when asked if they would treat someone else differently, they disagreed with it. From the results of this study, I can see how the authors said that these negative thoughts are created by the own individual struggling with a mental illness. Knowing that a large number of people not treating a person unusual because of their mental disorder changes a lot for them. If I could show people that they are not being viewed differently for seeking help to be better, I would do so by hosting a convention and explain the numbers derived from these study to those people. In another way, I can write blogs, like these, that explain the studies on stigma to those that haven’t heard of them. If more people are reading and seeing that mental health is being normalized, we will be able to create a comfortable environment for those that feel scared of being judged.
Works Cited:
Pedersen, Eric R, and Andrew P Paves. “Comparing Perceived Public Stigma and Personal Stigma of Mental Health Treatment Seeking in a Young Adult Sample.” Psychiatry Research, vol. 219, no. 1, 30 Sept. 2014, pp. 143–150., www-sciencedirect-com.jpllnet.sfsu.edu/science/article/pii/S0165178114003886.
