Mental illness is perceived as something worse than a regular illness. People think that because someone is mentally ill that they are dangerous to others and themselves. They think of them as less capable than others. This puts a stigma on the mentally ill that makes it harder for them to live daily life.
People with mental illness tend to have a lot of stigma attached to them because of the media and their portrayal of them as well. The media makes the mentally ill out to be very violent people that go out all the time and attack people. When the mentally ill are more likely to be victims rather than the attackers.
The mentally ill are most often not violent and if they are it is due to other circumstances. The mentally ill only seem more violent than the average person because of the stigma of the illness, the portrayal of the illness in the media, and the idea that a mentally ill person is violent because of their illness.
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People with mental illness are thought of as violent sometimes, due to the stigma that comes with the illness. According to an article called “Stigma” by Skinner, people’s opinions of the mentally ill are often incorrect because they lack an understanding and education about them (2015). It can sometimes make them feel like the stigma is worse than being mentally ill.
They are often treated unjustly because of their illness as well. Skinner mentions that this makes it harder for them to get jobs and make friends (2015). People are often reluctant to hire the mentally ill because they think they are unreliable as well. Education about mental health is important to get rid of the stigma and improve people’s opinions of people with mental health problems (Skinner, 2015).
According to an article called “The stigma of mental disorders: A millennia-long history of social exclusion and prejudices” by Rossler, there is more of a negative reaction to mental illness than any other health problem (2016). The mentally ill tend to have a stigma attached to them that makes people believe they are all the same and dangerous.
This causes them to avoid a lot of social interactions, so they become very isolated. Rossler mentions that stigma is also the reason that there is no place that the mentally ill have the same social value as people who are not (2016). Some mental illness has more stigma than others as well. The media fuels a lot of this through inaccurate and overly reported stories.
Rossler goes on to say that Mental health professionals sometimes have just as much of a negative view of them as everyone else (2016). All this can lead to the mentally ill feeling bad about themselves and having low self-esteem. There are 3 ways to help reduce stigma which are education, standing up against unproper descriptions of mental illness, and spending time with them (Rossler, 2016).
According to an article called “Stigma and Violence: Isn’t It Time to Connect the Dots” by Torrey, there are many campaigns that are currently trying to get rid of the stigma on the mentally ill (2011). However, the mental health staff refuse to really investigate the causes. The writer of this article argues that the solution can be found by connecting 6 dots.
Torrey mentions the first is that despite the initiative to stop the stigma it has only gotten worse over the years (2011). The second is that violent crimes committed by the mentally ill have increased a little throughout the years. The third dot is that people fear the mentally ill because they think that they are violent. The fourth is that the mentally ill commit violent acts because they are untreated (Torrey, 2011).
Torrey then mentions the fifth is that people with mental illness have decreased episodes of violence when they are adhering to their medication (2011). The sixth is that if violent behavior is reduced then stigma will be reduced. So, in other words if you connect the dots then you see that if the mentally ill are treated for their illness the violence and stigma will be reduced. According to Torrey the reason these dots have not been connected is because people are afraid to link violence with the mentally ill (2011). They fear this will only increase the stigma. However, not linking them is also increasing the stigma of mental illness. There is a small amount of people with mental illness that are violent, but if the issue was out there, they would get the help they need, and the stigma and violence would be reduced (Torrey, 2011).
In other words, people fear the mentally ill because they haven’t been taught about them. People need to spend time with them and learn about them in order to really understand them. The same goes for anyone else. You can’t really know someone unless you spend time with them. People end up treating the mentally ill unfairly because they don’t do that. They are less willing to spend time with them or even give them a job. All they see is the illness instead of the person, so they avoid them. There is so much stigma on the mentally ill that people can’t even mention violence and them in the same sentence for fear of increasing the stigma.
However, that is also part of the problem. People cannot expect to resolve something if it’s never talked about. For example: If there is a problem in a marriage people wouldn’t just ignore it and hope for the best. They would go to counseling and talk the problem out. When people do not talk all, it just makes the problem worse. When it comes to mental illness it means that some people are left untreated. People are more reluctant to step forward and get help when they know that a lot of people will judge them and treat them differently if they do. People must learn that differences do not make people less than anyone else.
The medias portrayal of the mentally ill increases stigma and makes it seem like they are very violent. According to the article “Public belief that mentally ill people are violent: Is the USA exporting stigma to the rest of the world?” by Jorm and Reavley, Personal experience with the mentally ill is not the reason people believe they are violent (2013). In fact, people who have had contact with them are less likely to believe they are violent. According to the authors the media is most likely the reason people believe the mentally ill are dangerous. Jorm and Reavley mention that media reports can increase the belief that they are dangerous (2013).
A study was done on German high school students they were shown articles that linked mental illness and violence. After reading it there was more belief that they were dangerous. Jorm and Reavley go on to say that the media is more likely to report on murder cases that involve the insanity plea (2013). This makes it even more likely that they will connect violence with the mentally ill. The USA media gives so much attention to violent stories involving the mentally ill that it may be affecting people in other places as well (Jorm & Reavley, 2013).
According to an article called “How the Stigma of Mental Health Is Spread by Mass Media” by Saleh, the media often promotes stigma of the mentally ill (2018). Most forms of media negatively label those with mental illness. They often blame the individual for having the illness. Saleh mentions the media often portrays that everybody has the same symptoms when mentally ill as well (2018). Thus, saying that a person will only act a one way when they have a particular mental illness. Ignoring that different people have different symptoms. It also portrays the illness as something that cannot be overcome. Movies also tend to label the mentally ill as very dangerous. Which further damages the public’s view of the mentally ill (Saleh, 2018).
The media often gives more attention to stories that link the mentally ill with violence. They do this to get more viewers, because it is something that really gets people’s attention. When they do this, they often show the mentally ill in a negative light. The media reports make it seem like the mentally ill are violent. This ends up distorting people’s perceptions of the mentally ill. When people see these exaggerated news stories, they get the idea that they should fear the mentally ill. When that is not the case, they are not any more likely to be violent than anyone else. People tend to put too much trust into the media. There is bias in the media just like anywhere else. When people report the news, they tend to end up adding their own bias to the story. If people would just research what the media is telling them; they would know for sure what was truth.
The mentally ill are not normally violent, however the few instances of violence that do happen are not because of the illness but other factors. According to an article called “Violence and mental illness: What is the true story?” by Varshney et. al, much of the stigma of mental illness comes from the tendency to equate mental illness with danger (2016).
The media makes stigma even worse by really focusing on violent crimes committed by the mentally ill even though often violent crimes are committed by someone without a mental illness. When only a small amount of the mentally ill commit violent crimes. Varshney et. Al mentions the studies about the prevalence of violence in the mentally ill vary a lot (2016). Patients that are out on their own have the lowest violence rates and those who aren’t have the higher rates. Even if the risk of violence was the same for both mentally ill and those who are not 96% of violence in the population would still happen.
According to Varshney et. al, the mentally ill have a very high risk of being victimized with violence (2016). Their illness makes it harder to protect themselves.
Violent behavior by the mentally ill gets more attention than when they are the victims even though it happens to them more. Like anyone else though the mentally ill have other factors in their lives other than their illness that may cause them to be violent. Varshney et. al, goes on to say that if a mentally ill person does not abuse substances, then there’s less risk for violence (2016). Substance abuse makes it more likely that a mentally ill person will be victimized as well. Treatment of the mentally ill as well as helping them kick substance abuse helps them in long run. There must be in depth studies into the many different factors that can lead to violence in order to get a better understanding. This way the right treatments can be found (Varshney et. al, 2016).
According to article called “Violent crime among mentally ill people is due more to substance misuse than inherent factors, study shows.” by Day, the abuse of substances is the reason behind most crimes committed by the mentally ill (2010).
The author calls for doctors to spot substance problems as soon as possible and treat them. This shows that the mentally ill who are not abusing substances are not more violent than anyone else. Day mentions that people who are mentally ill and those who are not are both 6 to 7 times more likely to be violent if they are abusing substances (2010). However, the mentally ill are more vulnerable to addiction. So, it’s not an overly violent nature that is behind any violence committed by the mentally ill.
According to Day the study did show that people with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia are more likely to abuse drugs because of genetics or to get rid of the side effects of medication (2010). They go on to say that it is less dangerous to go by a home for the mentally ill when someone is being released than it is for someone to walk by a bar at night. Day mentions however, that there are some mental patients that are dangerous and should not be underestimated (2010). Substance abuse problems can make some symptoms of mental disorder worse, but do not cause the illness. In other words, it is very important to treat substance abuse disorders especially in the mentally ill (Day, 2010).
The mentally ill are just like anybody else. They have factors in their lives other than mental illness that may cause them to become violent. Some have substance abuse problems that lead to them becoming violent. Drugs and alcohol bring out the worse in everyone. These substances enhance a person’s emotions. This can escalate any situation whether the person is mentally ill or not. Helping the mentally ill kick substance abuse will help reduce violence by them. This will also help reduce the stigma of mental illness as well.
Everyone has problems in their life that could lead to them becoming violent. A person does not have to be mentally ill for a personal situation to get to them enough that they become violent. The mentally ill are victims more often than the perpetrators. They are more susceptible to it because they can’t really defend themselves against it. Sometimes, they don’t understand what is going on and thus don’t know how to defend themselves.
There is a stigma on people with mental illness. People think that because someone is mentally ill that they are not as valuable as anyone else. They seem to think that other people matter more. That is not true the mentally ill are just as important as anyone else. People also tend to avoid those with mental illness because they think they are violent.
However, violence by the mentally ill is rare. The media contributes to people believing that they are dangerous. The misrepresents them and makes them seem violent. They only focus on a few stories where they have committed violence. Sometimes, the media portrays the criminal to be mentally ill, but they were not. The mentally ill are not violent due to their illness, but often due to other circumstances. Substance abuse is one of the main reasons that the mentally ill become violent. Anybody can become violent while under the influence though. Other problems in their lives could lead to it as well like abuse. The mentally ill only seem more violent than the average person because of the stigma of the illness, the portrayal of the illness in the media, and the idea that a mentally ill person is violent because of their illness.
References
- Day, M. (2010). Violent crime among mentally ill people is due more to substance misuse than inherent factors, study shows. BMJ: British Medical Journal (Online), 341 doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1136/bmj.c4909
- Jorm, A. F., & Reavley, N. J. (2014). Public belief that mentally ill people are violent: Is the USA exporting stigma to the rest of the world? Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48(3), 213–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867413509697
- Rössler W. (2016). The stigma of mental disorders: A millennia-long history of social exclusion and prejudices. EMBO reports, 17(9), 1250-3.
- Saleh, N. (2018, December 3). How the Stigma of Mental Health Is Spread by Mass Media. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/mental-health-stigmas-in-mass-media-4153888
- Skinner, A. (2015). Stigma. Nursing Standard (2014+), 30(15), 61. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.7748/ns.30.15.61.s52
- Torrey, E. F. (2011). Stigma and Violence: Isn’t It Time to Connect the Dots? Schizophrenia Bulletin,37(5), 892-896. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbr057
- Varshney, M., Mahapatra, A., Krishnan, V., Gupta, R., & Deb, K. S. (2016). Violence and mental illness: What is the true story? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 70(3), 223. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1136/jech-2015-205546
