Running head: THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS 2 Running head: THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS The Stigma of Mental Illness The Stigma of Mental Illness The importance of stigma and the lack of mental support has suffered throughout history. Ask yourself, if people with mental issues and the lack of support should change and be accepted into all social norms? Or should they continue to not be supported over something they have no control over? Stigma has been well-defined as undesirable opinions, observations and relations which can cause discrimination according to the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, (2014). Mental illness is a syndrome that affects your mood, thought process, actions and present distress in social functions and occupational involvements. As a result of mental distress, intimidation, brutality and alienation has been known to take place because people feel you may be unstable or dangerous, which is due to the distancing that is the place between each other, in addition to rejection and abandonment their reactions may become negative and sometimes violent in the nature of harming themselves or committing suicide all because of the lack of understanding of what mental illness is and how it affects the individual. Mental illness stigmatization can also result in a poor understanding amongst family members and as an end result making them feel they are not able to seek treatment, or cure and cause the individual to seek other options when they feel they have no one that can help them understand what’s going on with themselves. These other options include marijuana, alcohol, prescription drugs and cigarettes can be a great start for those people scared to seek help with mental health issues Aviram, R. B., Brodsky, B. S. (2006). This is where peer support is needed, it is so important for mental health patients to realize they have a sense of belonging and that they are not alone when dealing with their mental health issues. According to the SAMHSA.gov, peer support is one of the strategies that can help you to improve the state of mental health in America. Access to peer support is an effective way of enhancing the quality of life when always understand peer support as any form of assistance that comes from people who share characteristics or experiences relating to things that are in common. For instance, for patients with mental health issues, peer support includes: knowledge, emotional and social assistance that one may get from a person who has the same experiences. Additionally, mental illness stigmatization can result in insufficient health insurance coverage of mental ailments by organizations. This can include being turned down for job opportunities or recognitions due to their illness. People with emotional disabilities tend to have issues with .

1. Running head: THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS
2
Running head: THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS
The Stigma of Mental Illness
The Stigma of Mental Illness
The importance of stigma and the lack of mental support has

2. suffered throughout history. Ask yourself, if people with mental
issues and the lack of support should change and be accepted
into all social norms? Or should they continue to not be
supported over something they have no control over? Stigma
has been well-defined as undesirable opinions, observations and
relations which can cause discrimination according to the
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, (2014).
Mental illness is a syndrome that affects your mood, thought
process, actions and present distress in social functions and
occupational involvements.
As a result of mental distress, intimidation, brutality and
alienation has been known to take place because people feel you
may be unstable or dangerous, which is due to the distancing
that is the place between each other, in addition to rejection and
abandonment their reactions may become negative and
sometimes violent in the nature of harming themselves or
committing suicide all because of the lack of understanding of
what mental illness is and how it affects the individual.
Mental illness stigmatization can also result in a poor
understanding amongst family members and as an end result
making them feel they are not able to seek treatment, or cure
and cause the individual to seek other options when they feel
they have no one that can help them understand what’s going on
with themselves. These other options include marijuana,
alcohol, prescription drugs and cigarettes can be a great start
for those people scared to seek help with mental health issues
Aviram, R. B., Brodsky, B. S. (2006).
This is where peer support is needed, it is so important for
mental health patients to realize they have a sense of belonging
and that they are not alone when dealing with their mental
health issues. According to the SAMHSA.gov, peer support is
one of the strategies that can help you to improve the state of
mental health in America. Access to peer support is an effective
way of enhancing the quality of life when always understand
peer support as any form of assistance that comes from people

3. who share characteristics or experiences relating to things that
are in common. For instance, for patients with mental health
issues, peer support includes: knowledge, emotional and social
assistance that one may get from a person who has the same
experiences.
Additionally, mental illness stigmatization can result in
insufficient health insurance coverage of mental ailments by
organizations. This can include being turned down for job
opportunities or recognitions due to their illness. People with
emotional disabilities tend to have issues with prejuice when
seeking jobs or explaining the lapse’s in their resume because
of the bouts with their mental health. They also experience
stigma when going back to work, having their peers mistreat
them with harassment, mockery, even demotion (Parle S, 2012).
Although mental illnesses are frequently stigmatized, they are
to some extent normal and can be controlled in most instances.
Psychologists have come up with an improved understanding of
mental disorders, but at the same time, the cure and
maintenance continue to change from time to time. An
investigation paper concerning the mental ailments is a better
matter to look at without considering what class learners are
pursuing.
Thus, according to me, this is a matter of concern since
eliminating the stigma and communal isolation of individuals
with mental ailments. It would have to be an open health
priority so as to increase global mental health and minimize the
financial liability.
Stigmatized persons are alleged to possess some traits which
result in unattractive social recognition. Every year, about 11%
on people who have mental disorders look for help, and stigma
has been viewed as the primary cause why victims do not pursue
help (Corrigan, P.W. (2004). Stigma has an undesirable effect
on mentally ailing victims and is an obstacle to pursuing the
treatment, and therefore minimizing the stigma that revolves
around mental sickness is a vital communal health initiative.
Thus, this study targets how to review the study of the “effect

4. and influence of mental health on help-seeking in the overall
population”. The top barriers for students include: being
embarrassed, rejection, and possibly being labeled as insane or
unhinged.
These have been labeled as help seeking behaviors which
reduces social articulation with their own psychological well-
being (Corrigan, P.W., 2004). Eisenberg et al. (2011), the
population of college students have further need of attributes
and weaknesses include barriers such as: dealing with mental
issues by themselves and the mistrust of providers. Thoughts of
complaints with time restraints were caused by the lack
participation and treatment. Questions as to whether treatment
is effective when solving problems. Believing that stress and
anxiety is normal and will get better over time. Some students
also complained to the lack of financial funding it cost to seek
treatment, so they don’t participate. They have complained
about the lack of their GPA dropping and dropping out of
school.
Mowbray et al. (2006), college students worry about what
others would think about participation, the staff being
unfriendly wait times of services may be to long and
discouraging and the students may have a lack of confidentiality
of the staff.
Some research revealed advantages to mental illness awareness:
lower stigma-related attitudes than their equals. (Corrigan et
al., 2001). They would have the support and knowledge needed
around them when struggling with emotional disorders. I have
found that when dealing with people that already have mental
illnesses, it is less likely for them to have a negative influence
towards those people. “These positive attitudes may be
influenced by contact, individual experiences with people and
positive attitudes toward mental health patients (Read &
Law, 1999).” The following analyzation pursues whether the
stigma causes a barrier to healing, amongst college students.
Table 2.
College students' perceived benefits and barriers to help-

5. seeking for mental health problems.
n
%
Which of the following do you feel is a benefit of individuals
seeking help for mental health problems?
Improved mental health
610
89.4
Reduced stress
591
86.7
Resolving one's problems
575
84.3
Self-awareness/personal growth
564
82.7
Happiness
555
81.4
Improved life satisfaction
546
80.1
Increased relationships
533
78.2
More optimistic attitude
532
78.0
Increased self-confidence
530
77.7
Increased communication
490
72.0

6. Increased comfort sharing feelings with others
485
71.1
Increased social support
458
67.2
Improved sleep
422
61.9
Increased energy
416
61.0
Which of the following do you feel is a barrier for individuals
seeking help for mental health problems?
Embarrassment
619
90.8
Denial that there is a problem
595
87.2
Not wanting to be labeled as “crazy”
496
72.7
Not knowing where to go for help
483
70.8
Not feeling comfortable sharing feelings with another person
478
70.1
Not wanting to talk to a counselor about personal issues
462
67.7
Wanting to handle problems on one's own
457
67.0
Cost

7. 423
62.0
Fear of counselors
381
55.9
Not wanting to be admitted to a hospital
377
55.3
Lack of social support
330
48.4
Not wanting to be placed on medication
324
47.5
Not wanting help
321
47.1
Lack of insurance
274
40.2
Note: n = 698; Percent refers to valid percent; and missing
values are excluded.
3.2. Results indicated that the top three perceived benefits were
improved mental health, reduced stress, and resolving one's
problems (Table 2). The lowest perceived benefits were
increased energy, improved sleep, and increased social support.
Having one on one experience seems to be appropriate, group
meetings, increasing the awareness of mental health, mental
issues, and education to college students may be a great way of
reducing the stigma. All of the articles relate to one another
because research and studies show the value of how effective
exposure and education against stigma can change the minds
and attitudes of people. Documentation from finding articles
related to the impertinence of decreasing barriers toward
beliefs, help-seeking, non-adaptive and adaptive behaviors of

8. students entering college by making them aware of counseling
services available to them, social transitions, and by the
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Table 5.
Students' perceived stigma based on perceived benefits and
barriers.
Stigma-related attitudes
Number of perceived benefits
Number of perceived barriers
M (SD)
F
P
M (SD)
F
p
I feel that individuals who go to counseling for mental health
problems are mentally weak
Low
1.79 (0.798)
15.573
<.001
1.73 (0.784)
5.724
.017
High
1.56 (0.738)
1.59 (0.756)
I feel that individuals who go to counseling for mental health
problems are crazy

9. Low
1.58 (0.727)
10.595
.001
1.57 (0.722)
11.683
.001
High
1.41 (0.641)
1.40 (0.636)
I feel that individuals with mental health problems should
handle problems on their own without the help of counselors
Low
1.73 (0.797)
6.199
.013
1.75 (0.831)
11.708
.001
High
1.58 (0.773)
1.54 (0.730)
I feel that individuals who go to counseling for mental health
problems are not able to solve problems
Low
1.82 (0.799)
11.227
.001

10. 1.80 (0.795)
9.202
.003
High
1.62 (0.754)
1.62 (0.756)
I feel that individuals who go to counseling for mental health
problems are lazy
Low
1.56 (0.715)
15.441
<.001
1.54 (0.741)
14.457
<.001
High
1.35 (0.615)
1.35 (0.574)
I feel that individuals who go to counseling are different from
normal people in a negative way
Low
1.65 (0.749)
15.992
<.001
1.66 (0.785)
23.675
<.010
High

11. 1.43 (0.678)
1.35 (0.574)
Note: n = 698; Means based on a 5-point Likert-type scale
(1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree); number of
perceived benefits dichotomized into high (11–14 perceived
benefits) and low (0–10 perceived benefits) based on the median
split; number of perceived barriers dichotomized into high (9–
14 perceived barriers) and low (0–8 perceived barriers) based
on the median split; and missing values are excluded.
It is to be conclude that it does make a difference for college
students or anyone according to the studies provided for people
to get therapy and treatment for mental illness. I can conclude
perceived benefits outweigh the barriers and stigma. It did
however show that females sought treatment before males.
There are many perceivers that may influence a students'
approach towards mental services, but their perceptions,
barriers and benefits related to seeking treatment makes all the
difference in the world. All they need to do is get the proper
peer support and seek treatment for all the success in the world.

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