22.7%
OF ADULTS AGE 18 AND OLDER, who
thought they might need treatment for mental health
problems in 2003-2005, said that stigma
is one of the barriers to getting help . (See
more statistics.) Their
concerns are:
-discrimination
at work
-neighbor
and community opinions
-had general
shame and fear
-were afraid
of the courts
-and
were afraid of losing health insurance.
Stigma
makes an impact on different segments of
society.
--The mentally ill suffer the most from stigma. (Corrigan
and Kleinlein). In addition,
people who are involved in their lives also are
impacted. Landlords, employers, health
care professionals,
law enforcement agents, members of the legal system,
family members, friends,
and communities all are impacted
by the sense of public
stigma.
How does stigma affect
the mentally ill in important ways?
--Besides shame and fear, they suffer economically.
People lose opportunities that are
important ( jobs
and housing).
--General health caretakers may not respond to general health issues
because of mental illness stigma.
--Mental illness stigma affects interactions with
the criminal
justice
system. They may not understand mental illness.
How does stigma affect family members and others?
--This is called courtesy stigma. It
means sometimes family members & those associated with persons
with mental illness experience avoidance by others because
of stigma.
--Some
say mental health services receive less funding because
of the area they service. There is less support money.
--Communities lose the positive resources those with mental
illness could provide. Stigma perpetuates fears about
mental ilIness, deprives others of the opportunity to face
emotional problems that they also may experience at some
time in their lives.
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