Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 29 (2015) 133
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apnu
Editorial
The Continuing Stigma of Mental Illness
We all know the stigma is present. Much of the public talked about the stigma of mental illness when Robin Williams took his own life. Now we have another major public event that far outshadows the death of Williams: the crash of the jet plane into the Alps by Andreas Lubitz, a 27 year old man who successfully hid his mental illness from his employers and many others. We will undoubtedly learn much more about Lubitz's health and illness in the months to come. We also will have more reports of negative attitudes toward mental illness in the press. We will all struggle to understand how anyone could do something so terrible. There is little sympathy on those who suffer from mental illness, and the negative attitudes are exacerbated when innocent victims die or are injured. While it is true that some people who suffer from mental illness commit crimes, so also do some people who do not suffer from mental illness. In fact while many attribute violent acts to mental illness, most people with mental illness are not violent; only 3%–5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness (Facts about Mental Illness). Public reaction to mental illness is at the core of many problems faced by those who are suffering. For example, persons with mental illness may be discriminated against in employment, living arrangements, and even in health care treatment. Self-stigmatization is often a result. Stigmatization by others may lead the person with a metal illness to hide their illness from others, fearing the reaction of others' stigma and discrimination. There is research support that increasing the contact between those with serious mental illness (SMI) and those who do not have mental illnesses reduces stigma (Corigan, Edwards, Green, et al., 2001). Further addressing the topic, and challenging the scientific community to launch more research to reduce stigmatization, Corrigan and Watson (2005) have described three specific approaches to decreasing the stigma surrounding mental illness: protest, education, and contact. All three of these approaches increase the potential for change in both attitudes
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2015.04.001 0883-9417/© 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.
and the concomitant stigma. Through protest we would actively lobby the media and the public to stop portraying all persons with mental illness according to negative stereotypes. But most importantly we must turn our lobbying efforts in the public forums to providing available and adequate non-discriminatory health care services to those in need. Education has been the most effective in addressing stigmatization, and yet we have too little evidence of direct education among the public. Often the educational efforts are a reaction to a tragedy, an approach that is helpful but not sufficient. The educational efforts we undertake must be widespread and inclusive, much as the efforts that were used in reducing the stigma of cancer that was so prominent less than 50 years ago when many believed that cancer was contagious. Our lack of education regarding mental illness has major policy implications or both treatment and research funding. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (2015) more than half of the individuals suffering from mental illness have not received any mental health services in the past year. Think about the potential of turning a percentage of the $193 billion annually in lost earnings due to mental illness into research funding for mental health and illness. Would not we know more, and could not we do more to help? Joyce J. Fitzpatrick
References Corrigan, P. W., Edwards, A., Green, A., Diwan, S. L., Penn, D. L., et al. (2001). Prejudice, social distance, and familiarity with mental illness. Schizophr Bull, 27, 219–225. Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2005). Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry, 1(1), 16–20. Facts Mental Health Myths (2015). Retrieved March 29, 2015 from http://www. mentalhealth.gov/basics/myths-facts/. National Alliance on Mental Illness (2015). Mental illness facts and numbers. Retreived March 29, 2015 from www.nami.org.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apnu
Editorial
The Continuing Stigma of Mental Illness
We all know the stigma is present. Much of the public talked about the stigma of mental illness when Robin Williams took his own life. Now we have another major public event that far outshadows the death of Williams: the crash of the jet plane into the Alps by Andreas Lubitz, a 27 year old man who successfully hid his mental illness from his employers and many others. We will undoubtedly learn much more about Lubitz's health and illness in the months to come. We also will have more reports of negative attitudes toward mental illness in the press. We will all struggle to understand how anyone could do something so terrible. There is little sympathy on those who suffer from mental illness, and the negative attitudes are exacerbated when innocent victims die or are injured. While it is true that some people who suffer from mental illness commit crimes, so also do some people who do not suffer from mental illness. In fact while many attribute violent acts to mental illness, most people with mental illness are not violent; only 3%–5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness (Facts about Mental Illness). Public reaction to mental illness is at the core of many problems faced by those who are suffering. For example, persons with mental illness may be discriminated against in employment, living arrangements, and even in health care treatment. Self-stigmatization is often a result. Stigmatization by others may lead the person with a metal illness to hide their illness from others, fearing the reaction of others' stigma and discrimination. There is research support that increasing the contact between those with serious mental illness (SMI) and those who do not have mental illnesses reduces stigma (Corigan, Edwards, Green, et al., 2001). Further addressing the topic, and challenging the scientific community to launch more research to reduce stigmatization, Corrigan and Watson (2005) have described three specific approaches to decreasing the stigma surrounding mental illness: protest, education, and contact. All three of these approaches increase the potential for change in both attitudes
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2015.04.001 0883-9417/© 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.
and the concomitant stigma. Through protest we would actively lobby the media and the public to stop portraying all persons with mental illness according to negative stereotypes. But most importantly we must turn our lobbying efforts in the public forums to providing available and adequate non-discriminatory health care services to those in need. Education has been the most effective in addressing stigmatization, and yet we have too little evidence of direct education among the public. Often the educational efforts are a reaction to a tragedy, an approach that is helpful but not sufficient. The educational efforts we undertake must be widespread and inclusive, much as the efforts that were used in reducing the stigma of cancer that was so prominent less than 50 years ago when many believed that cancer was contagious. Our lack of education regarding mental illness has major policy implications or both treatment and research funding. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (2015) more than half of the individuals suffering from mental illness have not received any mental health services in the past year. Think about the potential of turning a percentage of the $193 billion annually in lost earnings due to mental illness into research funding for mental health and illness. Would not we know more, and could not we do more to help? Joyce J. Fitzpatrick
References Corrigan, P. W., Edwards, A., Green, A., Diwan, S. L., Penn, D. L., et al. (2001). Prejudice, social distance, and familiarity with mental illness. Schizophr Bull, 27, 219–225. Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2005). Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry, 1(1), 16–20. Facts Mental Health Myths (2015). Retrieved March 29, 2015 from http://www. mentalhealth.gov/basics/myths-facts/. National Alliance on Mental Illness (2015). Mental illness facts and numbers. Retreived March 29, 2015 from www.nami.org.
