Sadat Abiri, MS, RN MPH Student U.W. Madison

Transcription

1 Sadat Abiri, MS, RN MPH Student U.W. Madison

2 Overview My project Background on stigma Consumers, social workers, and family comments on stigma Implication for public health Take home message Acknowledgements

3 My Project: Mental Health Stigma Worked with consumers in the community: listened to their concerns while observing their behaviors Literature review on mental health stigma.

4 Stigma is defined as a sign of disgrace or discredit, which sets a person apart from others. Byrne, 2000

5 Stigma Impact includes restriction of life opportunities and identity. Identity plays an important role in the journey of recovery from mental illness

6 Forms of Stigma Public Stigma: what a naive public does to the stigmatized group when they endorse prejudice about that group Self Stigma (Internalized): what members of the stigmatized group do to themselves when they endorse/ internalize public stigma. Corrigan, P., (2004)

7 Stigma Impact : internalized stigma impacts recovery related outcomes for persons with severe mental illness (Yanos et al, 2008) Internalizedstigma Hope and self esteem Coping and engagement in rehabilitation Vocational outcomes Awareness Suicide risk Social interaction Symptom severity

8 Sources of Stigma Health care providers Life opportunities: Employers Landlords Families and Friends Criminal justice system.

9 A Consumer Statement on Law Enforcement I was denied my dignity as a human being was recently apprehended and handcuffed by three members of the Madison militia, who drew those steel cuffs as tight as they would go, so that I screamed in obvious pain. I was apparently under arrest, though I do not recall any of the officers stating that case to me

10 Stigma and Isolations MALE: I have come to accept mental illness as part of me. They treat me like I have no brain FEMALE: people, especially my younger sister, want to control my life like I m not capable of doing anything because I have a mental illness BOTH say they isolate themselves

11 A Sister Describes Her Brother s Schizophrenia: For me stigma means fear, resulting in a lack of confidence. Stigma is loss, resulting in unresolved mourning issues. Stigma is not having access to resources Stigma is being invisible or being reviled, resulting in conflict. Stigma is lowered family esteem and intense shame, resulting in decreased self worth. Stigma is secrecy Stigma is anger, resulting in distance. Most importantly, stigma is hopelessness, resulting in helplessness. Byrne, 2000

12 Family Role on Stigma: Unintended Consequences Relatives witnessing variety of discriminatory situations against their loved one sometimes become over protective and this makes consumers feel dependent. My mother lied to me about a lot of things that have hurt my feelings because I had to find out from others; about the death of a relative and things like that. Gonza lez Torres et al., 2007

13 Social Workers Perspective Stigma remains a significant problem for our clients. Oddly, people still, in 2012, confuse mental illness and mental retardation which amounts to assumptions about IQ and base of knowledge. I think the biggest result of stigma is that people become socially isolated. Mental Illness in our culture is sometimes misunderstood, the media plays a major role

14 Implication for Public Health Understanding of the impact of stigma is needed to improve the effectiveness of public health programs for groups that are stigmatized Advocacy and awareness public health programs for stigmatized groups are needed Research to increase our understanding of stigma, with the purpose of designing more effective stigma reduction interventions W. H. van Brakel, 2006

15 Discussion/ Take home Message Stigma impacts the lives of a significant number of people with mental illness by restricting opportunities and impacting identity Identity change play key roles in the recovery process of mental illness Watching our language regarding mental illness Speak up against anybody making stigmatizing statement Write to the media Support organizations like NAMI

16 Acknowledgements Professor Linda Oakley (SON) Professor Susan Zahner (SON) Amanda Hall ( Journey Mental Health Center) Fordem Connections (Black Smith House and Cornerstone CSP s) under Journey Mental health Center My husband and my children