Persons who work in the mental health treatment system sometimes display attitudes or take actions that unwittingly perpetuate stigma against persons with mental illness. This may convey to the broader society that persons with mental illness are not highly valued individuals. It can also lead to internalized stigma, meaning that persons with mental illness believe that they cannot have a meaningful, productive life and should be ashamed of having the illness. Thus, efforts to combat stigma should involve the mental health treatment system itself as well as the broader society. The following are a few ideas for self-examination and action steps that can be used by persons working in the mental health field as well as persons in other arenas.
Examine one’s beliefs about persons with mental illness
- Do you believe that persons with mental illness can’t have jobs, families, homes of their own?
- Do you believe that persons with mental illness can’t make their own decisions and that they must be forced to do things for “their own good”?
- Do you believe that the goals of treatment are maintenance, not recovery?
Examine one’s actions in regard to persons with mental illness
- Do you use people first language or labels such as “a schizophrenic”, “a borderline”?
- Do you use negative descriptions of persons with mental illness, such as “non-compliant”or “manipulative”?
- Do you develop treatment plans that do not fully involve the consumer?
- Do you question whether your mental health system is providing high quality treatment and other services for persons with mental illness?
- Do you speak out about discrimination against persons with mental illness, sub-standard living arrangements, excessive force used by police or others?
Take actions to confront and change stigmatizing beliefs and behaviors
- Acknowledge one’s own actions and beliefs that may contribute to stigma
- Change beliefs and practices by adopting a recovery philosophy
- See people with mental illness as more than their labels and diagnoses; see them as people with real hopes and dreams
- Engage people with mental illness as real partners in the treatment process by educating consumers about treatment options, basing treatment plans on the consumer’s goals, and recognizing the consumer’s expertise about what works for him or her
- Train and hire consumers to be part of the mental health work force
- Teach people with mental illness how to effectively self-manage symptoms
- Support people with mental illness as they become empowered to confront stigma and discrimination
- Take a stand against discrimination, poor quality services, lack of adequate resources; lack of parity in insurance coverage for mental health treatment
Use evidence based practices to confront stigma in the broader community
- Be aware that education about mental illness is useful but is not sufficient to change attitudes
- Use the most effective approach in combating stigma which is positive interaction with persons with mental illness
- Ensure that all educational presentations about mental illness include someone who has experienced mental illness and can talk about his or her recovery process
- Offer training to consumers about how to effectively give such presentations
- Help people with mental illness integrate the work force, housing, spiritual communities, educational programs, etc. to eradicate myths and stereotypes
- Think about how one talks about mental illness: research has shown that people have more negative attitudes toward a “brain disease” model than to a psychosocial model, which takes into account the relationship between life stressors and mental illness
Mental health consumers, family members, treatment providers, advocates, and others must all work together to combat stigma. There are many initiatives in Wisconsin where you can get more information or become involved. Wisconsin United for Mental Health is a statewide collaborative effort to combat stigma. NAMI-Wisconsin, the Grassroots Empowerment Project, Mental Health Association, Disability Rights Wisconsin, and the state Bureau on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services can also provide valuable assistance and information.
Dianne Greenley, MSW, JD
Supervising Attorney
Disability Rights Wisconsin