Mental patients stigma

On managing the stigma of mental illness, see S. Onken and E. Slaten, Disability Identity Formation and Affirmation The Experiences of Persons with Severe Mental Illness, Sociolo cal Practice 2 (June 2000) 99-111 E. Wright, W. Gronfein, and T. Owens, Deinstitutionalization, Social Rejection, and the Self-Esteem of Former Mental Patients, of Health and Social Behavior 41 (March 2000) 68-90. 

The stigma attached to mental illness is pervasive and affects the lives of people with mental illness. It makes the patient reluctant to come forward and ask for help. It makes rehabilitation after an episode of illness difficult. It contributes to the loss of self-esteem of the person who has the illness, a consequence that is particularly nefarious because it often blocks full recovery. Stigma also affects the members of the family, making them reluctant to admit that one of them has a mental illness and may need treatment, ft demeans institutions in which treatment is provided as well... 

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are established and accepted antidepressants. Their easy tolerability and simplicity of use have led to their widespread use it has been estimated that at least 50 million people who would not otherwise have received treatment for their depression have received these drugs. It appears that the proportion of patients treated with tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs] has remained relatively stable and the contribution of the SSRIs has been to increase substantially the size of the patient pool receiving treatment for depression. It is fair to say that the advent of the SSRIs has facilitated more ready discussion of depression and has reduced to some extent the stigma of mental illness. The development of the SSRIs has made it more acceptable for patients to come forward for treatment, although... 

Stigma and misinformation can also extend into medical practice, where many depressed patients present with medically unexplained symptoms. Somatization is the term used for such use of physical symptoms to express emotional distress, which may be a major reason for misdiagnosis of mental illness by medical and psycho-... 

The responsibility of caring for a patient usually falls on members of the family. Thus, they are not simply uninvolved bystanders. For example, it is not unusual for family members to prompt the patient to make the initial appointment with the therapist or physician. Because of the stigma of mental illness and the patient s worries about burdening family members, the family may not be fully informed on the health status of the patient. This lack of knowledge may be related to conflictual relationships in the family and a patient s preference to keep family members uninformed. 

The onset or exacerbation of a mental illness can also have a centripetal pull on families. However, because of its stigma, it can also have a centrifugal effect. For example, many patients attempt to hide their depression or anxiety to avoid burdening their families or to protect a secret, such as an affair, that is associated with the distress. Whereas a physical illness, like cancer, can lead to an outpouring of family support, the shame that accompanies mental illness can often fracture relationships and contribute to significant loneliness. When we encounter these fractured relationships, we attempt to open communication, educate the family, and increase social support. 

Mental illness is frequently viewed as an embarrassment or stigma by Asian patients and their families. Asians tend to delay psychiatric care until they are seriously disturbed (Lin et al. 1982). When Asians do enter the mental health system, their psychiatric conditions often have become severe and chronic and likely require psychopharmacotherapy (Lin et al. 1982). Because Asians tend to underuse or avoid seeking psychiatric care, the general public and some health care professionals may believe that Asians are a well-adjusted "model minority" and have little or no need... 

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