Stigma associated with mental illness runs deep
Posted on 11/08/2009 | 4 Comments
Try playing this little game with a friend, parent or co-worker. Ask them to list three adjectives that describe a person with mental illness. Then ask them to list three adjectives that describe a person with breast cancer. Finally, ask them to list three adjectives that describe a friend.
More than likely the person will use words like "crazy", "sad", "depressed", "lonely", "patient", "consumer or victim", "scared", "down", "violent", etc. to describe someone with a mental illness. In describing someone with breast cancer they will likely use words such as "strong", "confident", "undeserving", "survivor", "thriving", "family connection", etc.
And in describing a friend the person will likely use words like "fun", "caring", "happy", "smart", "loyal", "honest", "responsible", etc. See the difference?
Whether you play this game with youth, parents, educators or even health professionals you get the same result - positive words to describe a friend or a physical health problem like breast cancer and negative words to describe a mental illness like Depression.
And what if the your friend had Anxiety Disorder or Depression? Would that change your perception of them as a fun, smart, caring, loyal person? Would they suddenly be relegated to being a crazy, lonely, scared patient? The stigma surrounding mental illness runs deep. It is embedded in our actions, our culture and our language. Imagine a time when we describe and perceive people living with mental illnesses the same way we describe and perceive our friends or people living with physical health problems!
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This is a great set of comments and rings very true.
I totally agree that scientists (just like everyone else) have their biases and foibles. After all, scientists are human beings too! But science is different than scientists.
The scientific method is the most objective frame that we have by which to evaluate and predict. Science is not about finding truth. It is only about being less wrong most of the time. The scientific method (experimental design and mathematics) gives us the ability to test what we believe. The scientific method is not used to prove something is correct, on the contrary, the scientific method is designed to prove that something is not correct! It is designed to test what is called the “null hypothesis”. It takes ideas that come out of left field (or wherever else they come from) and puts those ideas to an independent test.
t does not drive our beliefs. It does however challenge our beliefs. In that way it is self-correcting. Of course scientific inquiry and understanding lives within a wider social context. That is one of the great features of science.
But gravity is gravity, social context notwithstanding. And thus it is nasty, brutish and long. As Brecht said, (something like this) - the purpose of science is to save us from everlasting error.
By Christina Carew on May 11th
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What people are saying?
Oriana said...
Thank you for posting this. I really appreciate the point that you make about prevailing negative stigma surrounding mental illness. i work for a non-profit that sheds light on mental illness through theater. Your suggested “game” of three questions is one very good way to bring light (and to challenge!) the assumptions may people carry about mental illness.
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
D. Venn said...
Thanks Oriana—checked out your blog, will follow your posts. In the past we have done some work with a local film festival. Always good to explore new partnerships. Best of luck with your work.
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
Brian Hughes said...
drug addiction is really a very bad problem of the society, it destroys the life of a person.
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
Seamus Crowley said...
I live in rural Ontario and use straight speeches or comedy to highlight the plight of those who are victims of stigma against those with a brain disorder. Your post is well written. Thank you.
Seamus James Crowley
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
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