This document discusses the negative perception of mental illness and its consequences. It notes that over 50 million Americans have a diagnosed mental illness. However, media often depicts the mentally ill as dangerous or scary. This stigma discourages people from seeking help and leads to social isolation. As a result, homelessness and substance abuse are more common among the mentally ill. The document argues that mental illness should be treated like any other medical condition. It suggests educating the public, speaking positively about mental health, and increasing support for treatment services.

1. The Negative
Perception Of The
Mentally Ill

2. What do you think of?
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http://www.arssubterranea.org/sanatorium/ghostcity.htm

3. Misconceptions

4. Statistics for Mental Illness in
America
● 57.7 million people 18 and above were
diagnosed with a mental illness in 2004
● Mental illness is the leading cause of disability
in the U.S. and Canada
● 1 in 17 have a severe mental illness
● 1 in 4 have a mental illness

5. The Problem With the Negative
Perception
● The effect on the mentally ill
○ Stigmas
○ Discouragement to seek medical help
○ Discouragement to seek social help
○ Encouraged to deny there is a mental illness
○ Seclusion from the society at large

6. The Problem With the Negative
Perception
● The effects on the non-mentally ill
○ Social issues
■ Homelessness
■ Breakdown in social organization
● Seclusion by the mentally ill leads to a withdraw from society
● Since one in three people suffer from one form of mental
illness that would mean nearly % 33 of the population could
withdraw from it
○ Legal issues
■ Suicide
■ Deviant behavior on the part of the mentally ill
■ Arrests of the mentally ill
● Mental illness sufferers are three times more likely to abuse
narcotics ad alcohol.

7. Why is This Important?

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9. What is the main cause?
● MEDIA (NEWS AND MOVIES)

10. The Negativity of Media
● News with scary stories
○ Violence
● Movies and Television poking fun/giving
negative image

11. Who does this effect? How?
● Those Who Are Uneducated
● The Mentally Ill
○ Treatment

13. The Stigma must be eliminated...
Do you think of
killers?
psychopaths?
pill-poppers?
monsters?
straight jackets?

14. Do you ever think of ...
Your parents
Your neighbors
Your best friend
Your professor
The person you are sitting next to?
The mentally ill are normal people who have a
disease just like those with asthma, cancer,
amnesia, etc.

15. What exactly is mental illness?
"A mental illness is a medical condition that
disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood,
ability to relate to others and daily functioning"
(NAMI.org)
Mental illnesses are a serious problem, but
there ARE solutions!
The mentally ill CAN be treated, but it takes
support fincancially and emotionally.

16. What can you do?
Get involved!
There are several movements to get involved
with to help remove the stigma surrounding
mental illnesses.
THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK
Don't call people crazy or psychotic because
you don't know who may be suffering.
Itsmyturnmovement.org is just an example

17. The economic
crisis affects the
mentally ill
immensely.

18. What can be done about cost?
Petition a cost cut for those seeking psychiatric
help.
Government should socialize the healthcare for
the mentally ill in order to create a more stable,
working society. If the mentally ill receive help,
they will be more productive which will help the
economy. "Reap what you sow"
Cut fundings to less urgent needs in the city.

19. In conclusion
The mentally ill are not monsters
We live every day surrounded by sufferers and
it is our job to reduce the stigma.
Mental illness is a disease and is not a reason
to shun the sufferers.
GET INVOLVED, GET EDUCATED, and
SPEAK OUT!

20. Works Cited
Briggs, Bill. "Military Suicide Rate hit record high in 2012." NBCNews.com: U.S. News. NBC News, 14 Jan 2013.
Web. 15 Mar 2013. <http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/14/16510852-military-suicide-rate
-hit-record-high-in-2012?lite>.
Conley, Mikaela. "1 In 5 Americans Suffers From Mental Illness." ABC NEWS Medical Unit. 19 Jan 2012: n. page.
Print. <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/01/19/1-in-5-americans-suffer-from-mental-illness/>.
"Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com: Movement. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 04 Mar 2013 .
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/movement?s=t
Plesman, Jurriaan. "It's My Turn Movement." Facebook.com/Itsmyturnmovement. Facebook. Web. 20 Mar 2013.
<https://www.facebook.com/
"It's My Turn." It's My Turn: To Talk About Mental Illness. WordPress, 04 Mar 2013. Web. 05 March 2013.
<http://www.itsmyturnmovement.org/site/>.
"NAMI.org: Mental Illnesses." NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI, n.d. Web. 25 Mar 2013.
<http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness>.
Horowitz, Alana. "U.S. Mental Healthcare System Failing Patients, Advocates Say." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2013.
Teich, Judith. "Mental Health, United States." Mental Health, United States (2010)
"Mental Disorders in America." Mental Illness Statistics. The Kim Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.thekimfoundation.org/html/about_mental_ill/statistics.html>.