Understanding of stigma - Dissertation Example

? Understanding of Stigma Table of Contents I. Introduction 3 II. Understanding of Stigma 3 III. Understanding of Recovery 4 IV. Influence of Stigma on Recovery 6 V. Conclusion 7 References 8 I. Introduction This paper explores the nature of stigma and recovery for people suffering from mental illnesses, and attempts to answer the question as to how stigma impacts the recovery of such patients with mental illnesses. Stigma and stigmatization are defined in the context of the five components necessary for stigma to be present. Recovery is also explored and presented in terms of the general process and what the factors affecting recovery are (Crocker and Major 1989, pp. 608-609; Link and Phelan 2006, p. 538; Sirey et al. 2001; Perlick et al. 2001; Link et al. 2001). II. Understanding of Stigma Stigma is a complex reality consisting of several interconnected parts or components (Link and Phelan, 2006, p. 538). The discussion on stigma here is in the context of helping to answer the question of how stigma might influence/affect the recovery of people suffering from mental illness. Stigmatization involves the marginalization and discrimination of people and groups who share similar social attributes or categories that have negative connotations and associations among members of the mainstream. Stigma is a social mark in this sense, influenced by social conventions, beliefs, and stereotypes, with the outcomes in terms of interpersonal relationships and economic relationships being adverse or poor for those who are stigmatized (Crocker and Major 1989, pp. 608-609). The literature defines stigma as necessitating five components, which are interlinked, in order to come into being. There is the labeling and identification of differences among people, as one component. Of interest here are labels and differences which have social relevance, including sexuality, skin color, and level of intelligence in standard tests. Stereotyping creation, where certain labels are associated with negative connotations and characteristics, is a second component. The third component involves the separation of them and us, with the separating being done by the group doing the labeling. The fourth component involves the stigmatized group losing status as well as becoming on the receiving end of discrimination by those who belong to the mainstream. The fifth and final component is said to be power and its exercise, without which there can be no stigmatization. This last component is typified by the observation that in cases of reverse stigmatization, with the stigmatized group thinking of outsiders as inferior, the absence of power means that such thinking does not translate to outsiders becoming in turn stigmatized. Stigmatization implies the group making the labels has power to enforce discrimination and take away status (Link and Phelan 2006, p. 538). III. Understanding of Recovery Recovery in the context of people with mental illnesses is likewise a complex process. Such is explored intensively in the literature, covering many interrelated facets (Sirey et al. 2001; Perlick et al. 2001; Link et al. 2001). There is literature that describes the recovery process in general, and in people with mental illness, as occurring on several fronts, with some of the fronts related to how well patients with mental illness recover a sense of well-being, and establish improved self-esteem. Moreover, there are clinical measures for indicating progress or regression on a host of mental illnesses, that are used to determine how well patients are recovering from their illnesses. These are well-mapped out and continue to be examined in earnest in the literature. For instance, there is literature that delinks the overall recovery process in terms of achievement of improvements in clinical symptoms as well as n terms of the overall ability of patients suffering from mental illness to function in normal society, on the one hand, and the way patients recover in terms of self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. It makes sense to see that those factors that impinge on patients' self-esteem and self-image likewise impact their overall recovery from mental illness. Perceptions of discrimination and low regard of society for people suffering from mental illness, for instance, also affects how patients follow or deviate from treatment protocols. Such adherence or non-adherence to treatment protocols, in turn, have direct impact on recovery. As understood from the literature, recovery is multi-pronged, and occurs on many levels. Each of the levels have their own challenges. Moreover, recovery in some aspects of mental illness can occur n spite of the lack of recovery in other aspects, as discussed above. It can be that patients with mental illness continue to suffer from negative self-image and low self-esteem because of external causative factors, even as their symptoms improve and clinical marker show improvement (Sirey et al. 2001; Perlick et al. 2001; Link et al. 2001). IV. Influence of Stigma on Recovery It is clear from the literature that stigma adversely affects recovery, on several fronts. The literature for instance details the many ways that stigma acts as hindrances to recovery for people suffering from mental illness. In one study in particular, it has been shown conclusively that stigma has negative effects on the self-esteem of people suffering from mental illness. Conversely, the study makes the observation that the way to improve recovery outcomes in people with mental illness is to shore up their self-esteem, with the implication that they should be shielded from stigma and its adverse consequences on the recovery prospects of people with severe mental illnesses. In the concrete, the study fleshes out just how stigma impacts recovery- people who are stigmatized come to the conclusion that they have failed, and that they have nothing in their lives that can be a source of pride (Link et al. 2001). In another study, it was shown that stigma as experienced by people suffering from bipolar illness in its acute form are less able to socially adjust to their surroundings seven months after treatment, especially in social settings not involving members of family. With social adaptation being a measure of overall recovery of people with mental illnesses, the finding shows just how stigma adversely impacts the recovery of such patients (Perlick et al, 2001). In another study involving people suffering from depression, the perceptions of patients with regard to the amount of stigma that they receive as a result of their illness impacts the way they adhere or not adhere to treatment protocols for their disease. This has implications for recovery, especially with regard to achieving the goals of the treatment protocols, as in the case of patients needing to take in the required medications in order to effect and hasten recovery for depression and other mental illnesses. The take here is that stigma alters motivation and thinking for those suffering from mental illnesses, to the point where they are sometimes unable to complete their treatment protocols because of the negative effects of stigma on their motivation and overall sense of well-being (Sirey et al.2001). A similar study concludes that stigma precisely hits on the sense of well-being and self-worth of people suffering from mental illnesses, with adverse effects on their recovery (Link et al. 1997). V. Conclusion The preceding discussion makes clear that stigma gravely impacts the recovery process and prospects for people suffering from mental illnesses. The effects of stigma are profound in the area of the well-being, self-esteem, and general sense of self-worth of such patients, undermining key measures of recovery, and in general making recovery outcomes poor, even when outward clinical symptoms are addressed. The gravity of the negative impact of stigma is reflected in literature that shows that people with mental illnesses shun medical protocols and treatments when patients have the perception of being stigmatized due to their mental illnesses. Stigma undermines patients in these and other aspects of their recovery process (Sirey et al. 2001; Perlick et al. 2001; Link et al. 2001; Link et al., 1997) References Crocker, Jennifer and Major, Brenda, 1989. Social Stigma and Self-Esteem: The Self-Protective Properties of Stigma. Psychological Review 96 (4). [Online] Available at: http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/~jsteele/files/04082317043617968.pdf [Accessed 18 March 2013] Link, Bruce and Phelan, Jo, 2006. Stigma and its public health implications. Lancet 367. [Online] Available at: http://www.ahrn.net/Lancet-Stigma_and_its_public_health_implications.pdf [Accessed 18 March 2013] Link, Bruce et al 2001. Stigma as a Barrier to Recovery: The Consequences of Stigma for the Self-Esteem of People With Mental Illness. Psychiatric Services 2001. [Online] Available at: http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=86820 [Accessed 18 March 2013] Link, Bruce et al 1997. On Stigma and Its Consequences: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study of Men with Dual Diagnoses of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 38. [Online] Available at: https://campus.fsu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/academic/social_sciences/sociology/Reading%20Lists/Mental%20Health%20Readings/Link-HealthSocial-1997.pdf [Accessed 18 March 2013] Perlick, Deborah et al. 2001. Stigma as a Barrier to Recovery: Adverse Effects of Perceived Stigma on Social Adaptation of Persons Diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder. Psychiatric Services 2001. [Online] Available at: http://journals.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?Volume=52&page=1627&journalID=18 [Accessed 18 March 2013] Sirey, Jo Anne et al, 2001. Stigma as a Barrier to Recovery: Perceived Stigma and Patient-Rated Severity of Illness as Predictors of Antidepressant Drug Adherence. Psychiatric Services 2001. [Online] Available at: http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=86814 [Accessed 18 March 2013] Read More