Approximately 46.6 million U.S. adults suffer from a mental illness (Budenz,2020)

Stigma:

Def. (a mark of shame or discredit)

• The stigma of mental illness can actually defer people from seeking treatment over fear of being judged.
• The stigma associated with mental health disorders are detrimental to care.
• . Many people delay seeking help over fear of being judged.
• Difficulty getting and keeping employment.
• Lower Standards of care and poor insurance coverage.
• Anti-stigma interventions are necessary to help improve the quality of life for these people suffering from schizophrenia
• .People who stigmatize are often uneducated and believe that those with a mental illness has control of their condition and are responsible for it.

Main Stream Media:

Def. (traditional or established broadcasting or publishing outlets)

• Mainstream media has a great effect on the stigma associated with mental health. Evidence shows that the mainstream media tends to show mental illness in a dangerous light. It tends to focus more on crime and violence. This type of coverage can actually lead the public to believe negative stereotypes about mental illness. Especially with schizophrenia, films and media often portray people the disease poorly and violent. It is often falsely identified as a split personality disorder. This translates into real world stigma against those who suffer from this disease. Mental health advocates have argued that the public needs to see the other side of mental illness. People who suffer from a mental illness are actually more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than to commit one.

Social Media:

Def. (Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content to participate in social networking.)

• Research on mental his topic has always been shown through the scope of traditional media. Social media is now being examined, as it can give a good view of what every day people think
• More support shown for people suffering with mental health
• Less stigma
• People with mental illness not portrayed as violent.

Treatment and help:

If you or someone you know is suffering there are resources available.

• Mental health Association of RI
• National Mental Health Hotline 888-862-6016
• RI Counselling associates

References

Budenz, A., Klassen, A., Purtle, J., Yom Tov, E., Yudell, M., & Massey, P. (2020). Mental illness and bipolar disorder on Twitter: implications for stigma and social support. Journal of Mental Health, 29(2), 191–199. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2019.1677878

Carmichael, V., Adamson, G., Sitter, K. C., & Whitley, R. (2019). Media coverage of mental illness: a comparison of citizen journalism vs. professional journalism portrayals. Journal of Mental Health, 28(5), 520–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2019.1608934

CRANT, J. (2018). The Relationship between Media Portrayal of Schizophrenia and Attitudes toward Those with Schizophrenia. Journal of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences, 21(1), 192–198.

Zimbres TM, Bell RA, & Taylor LD. (2019). Effects of public versus media responsibility messages on stigmatization of people with schizophrenia in an American adult sample. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-019-01788-6