The public’s misconception is that the victims of psychological disorders are crazy, unsound, dangerous or useless. Such labelling on the mental victims is quite demoralising. It leads to the social stigma.
People easily mistaken or misunderstood the mental disorders such as psychosis or schizophrenia that could be meant as possession of evil spirits.
If they are known or diagnosed to have psychological disorders, they have super difficulty of getting jobs. Besides, they are not socially accepted.
The stigmatization often leads the victims of psychological disorders to suffer low self-esteem, social rejection and to be ashamed of their illness and to have suicidal thoughts.
Causal beliefs of mental illnesses are a critical aspect of illness perception.
Beliefs about the causes of mental illnesses are associated with how individuals suffering from mental illnesses seek treatment for mental health issues, how family members provide support to these individuals, attitudes towards seeking help, and treatment outcomes.
The long and lonely fight against stigma that people with mental health issues face can be akin to the endurance needed to dash up a towering skyscraper.
Please click the following articles for more information on social stigma and the superstitions and their personal experiences with social stigma.
IMH study reveals stigma surrounding mental illness, Health News. SINGAPORE - Nine in 10 people believe that those with a mental illness "could get better if they wanted to", a new study by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) has found.
Half of those surveyed said that such problems are "a sign of personal weakness", while six in 10 also said that such people are "unpredictable". Researchers said that such stigmatising attitudes may lead people to avoid seeing a doctor and getting diagnosed for fear of being labelled as mentally ill. The fact, however, is that problems such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and even alcohol abuse often have a biological basis, and can be treated by a health professional. IMH embarked on the $1 million study a year ago to find out how much Singaporeans know about mental illness. In addition to how they viewed those with such disorders, respondents were also asked if they could identify one of five common mental illnesses.
These are depression, OCD, alcohol abuse, schizophrenia, and dementia. Beliefs about the causes of mental illness in Singapore - ImPossible Psychological Services. Causal beliefs of mental illnesses are a critical aspect of illness perception. Beliefs about the causes of mental illnesses are associated with how individuals suffering from mental illnesses seek treatment for mental health issues, how family members provide support to these individuals, attitudes towards seeking help, and treatment outcomes. Research literature has consistently shown that the general public attribute more than one cause in the development of mental health issues.
The causes can be classified into several categories. For example, Addis, Truax and Jacobson (1995) found that the causes given by adults suffering from depression for their problem can be classified into “childhood trauma”, “life stressors”, “poor coping skills”, “personality”, and “genetic vulnerability”. Causal beliefs are associated with stigma and acceptance of individuals with mental illnesses. The three categories of causal beliefs found in this study match the findings of previous research. Addis, M. The Dark Side of Being Open About Mental Health - RICE. The last person I interview for this story, Samantha, is 28 this year. “Unfortunately for me, I tick all the boxes,” she says, laughing when I reach her on her mobile, “I like poetry, I like sitting in the dark and plucking out tunes on my guitar, and self-care—or at least the nice things I try to do for myself—is really important. I also cut myself.” Sam goes on: “A few months ago, there was this influencer who spoke about her own self-harming in an IG post.
When I saw the kind of outpouring of love and support she got, I thought, I want that too.” But this is not who she is, Samantha tells me. She’s always kept to herself, and believes that social media has turned us into “instinctive over-sharers.” This means that we spend less time thinking about whether our thoughts are real, and more time crafting posts reflecting what we think we feel. Sam tells me for her at least, she exists between wanting to keep her problems a secret and wanting the people around her to take them seriously. Self-imposed stigma compounds struggles of individuals with mental illness.
SINGAPORE: Individuals with mental illness often grapple with stigma or negative public perceptions about their conditions and their struggle can be compounded further through self-imposed stigma. “Self-imposed stigma is the process by which persons with mental illness accept the negative attitudes of others towards them, then internalise and apply these beliefs to themselves,” said Associate Professor Mythily Subramaniam, director of the Department of Research at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
“Examples of self-imposed stigma include endorsement of negative stereotypes held by the public such as ‘I am dangerous’, ‘I am weak’, or ‘I am ashamed that I have a mental illness’,” she said. Based on an 18-month study on 280 outpatients from IMH suffering from depression, schizophrenia, anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), researchers have found that self-imposed stigma may influence the impact of perceived stigma, quality of life, self-esteem and function.
‘Crazy, weird, scary’: Survey unveils negative labels youths associate with mental illness. SINGAPORE — Researchers have called for regular and compulsory education on mental health for youths, in the wake of a study that found a large proportion of this group having misconceptions of mental illness.
Almost half (44.5 per cent) of 940 teenage students polled attached negative and pejorative labels to people with mental illness. “Crazy”, “weird”, “scary”, “stupid” and “dangerous” were among the words that came to mind then the respondents heard the term “mental illness”, reported the study, which was presented at the Frontiers in Mental Health symposium organised by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Nanyang Technological University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine on Tuesday (March 6). Some 46.2 per cent of the respondents, who were aged between 14 and 18, also said they would be “very embarrassed” if they were diagnosed with a mental illness, while nearly a quarter (22.7 per cent) said they would not want others to know if their relative were mentally ill.
Many in Singapore unwilling to live or work with people with mental health conditions: Survey, Health News. SINGAPORE - Even as more people are seeking outpatient treatment at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), more than five in 10 respondents of a recent survey indicated they are unwilling to live with, live nearby or work with a person with a mental health condition. The survey, which is the first of its kind by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), also found that six in 10 people believe that mental health conditions are caused by a lack of self-discipline and willpower. Another key finding from the survey conducted last year - half of the 1,796 respondents believe that persons with mental health conditions should not be given any responsibility.
But there were some encouraging notes in the findings, which were released on Saturday (Sept 8). The findings highlight the misconceptions and stigma suffered by persons with mental health conditions, said NCSS deputy chief executive officer Tina Hung. Superstitions, misconceptions delay timely treatment of psychotic disorders. SINGAPORE — Coping with distressing hallucinations and a malevolent voice in his head urging him to hurt people was challenging enough for 22-year-old schizophrenia sufferer Desmond Ng, who was diagnosed with the mental disorder at the age of 18. But what made it even more stressful was when his parents did not believe he was mentally ill despite a doctor’s diagnosis. “They thought I was possessed by evil spirits and took me to see a medium. I went along with them at first but it made things worse. I had to lie to them, saying I felt better so they would stop,” said Mr Ng. A polytechnic student when he first experienced symptoms, Mr Ng lived with the distressing hallucinations for about eight months before he told a lecturer.
He was subsequently referred to the Early Psychosis Intervention Programme (EPIP), a national programme under the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) that provides early intervention for youths and young adults, aged 16 to 40, with psychosis. Many still steer clear of people with mental illness: Poll, Singapore News. Even as more people are seeking outpatient treatment at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), more than five in 10 respondents in a recent survey indicated they are unwilling to live with, live nearby or work with a person with a mental health condition. The survey, which is the first of its kind by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), found that most people agree that more needs to be done to reduce societal stigma, yet they are also reluctant to accept them on an individual level.
In the survey of 1,796 people conducted last year, six in 10 people said they believe that mental health conditions are caused by a lack of self-discipline and willpower, while half believe that persons with mental health conditions should not be given any responsibility. But seven in 10 respondents acknowledged that persons with mental health conditions experience stigma and discrimination in their daily lives, and eight in 10 said they believe the best therapy is for them to be included in society. A Social Experiment on Mental Health Stigma | Beyond the Label.
An uphill task fighting stigma over mental health issues, Singapore News. The long and lonely fight against stigma that people with mental health issues face can be akin to the endurance needed to dash up a towering skyscraper. That is why some 250 people, including office workers and Senior Minister of State (Culture, Community and Youth; and Trade and Industry) Sim Ann, woke up early yesterday morning to race or walk up all 33 storeys of the Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1. "The fight against the stigma associated with individuals having mental health issues is like this race... it requires dedication, endurance and support," said Mr Alex Newbigging, chairman of Mindset Care, the charity behind the project. The vertical race was held to raise funds for a job training and placement centre dedicated to people recovering from mental health issues.
The event raised $365,000 for the centre in Jurong East - called Mindset Learning Hub - which was launched last month. Janice Tai.