The Stigma of Mental Illness: Undiagnosed and Untreated Essay -- Isolat

Madhouses, looney bins, insane asylums, monsters, witches, and lunatics. These are the terms that haunt both the mentally ill and the facilities that provide their treatment. The stigma of mental illness prevents persons in need of treatment from seeking help for their mental illnesses. The roots of the stigma of mental illness need to be dissected to reduce the discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping of the mentally ill. There are things that can be done to prevent this stigma including changes in federal policy, public cooperation, and individual advocacy. 1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT Civilizations have tried to cure the mentally ill since prehistoric times. Often it was believed that these people were victims of possession by demons, or were witches. Doctors Eric Snitchler and Kevin Harris from Northern Illinois University noted that â€Å"Archeologists have uncovered skulls with holes drilled in them dating back as far as 8,000 B.C†¦the holes may have been drilled into the skull as a means of releasing ‘evil spirits’ that were trapped inside the head causing abnormal behavior.† This surgery, referred to as trephining, is still practiced by some African tribes today. In the Middle Ages, Europeans left the mentally unstable alone unless they proved to be dangerous. In the 1600s Europeans began to isolate the mentally ill. They treated them poorly and chained them to walls and left them in dungeons. After the French Revolution, some establishments were reformed and patients were given more freedom and more pleasant living conditions; however, many people were still mistreated. In America, the mentally ill were locked up with criminals and hidden from the outside world. By the late 1800s, many state psychiatric hospitals were ... ...al. â€Å"The ‘Backbone’ of Stigma: Identifying the Global Core of Public Prejudice Associated With Mental Illness.† American Journal of Public Health 103.5 (2013): 853-860. Business Source Premier. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. Shrivastava, Amresh, et al. "Clinical Risk of Stigma and Discrimination of Mental Illnesses: Need For Objective Assessment and Quantification." Indian Journal of Psychiatry 55.2 (2013): 178-182. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Snitchler, Eric, and Kevin Harris. â€Å"History of Abnormal Psychology.† Online Posting. Northern Illinois U, Spring 2002. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. "Timeline: Treatments for Mental Illness." PBS. American Express, 2002. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. Vogel, David L., Nathaniel G. Wade, and Shawn Haake. "Measuring the Self-Stigma Associated with Seeking Psychological Help." Journal of Counseling Psychology 53.3 (2006): 325- 37. Print.