Why is there so much stigma, predjudice, and hatred towards those with mental illness?

Question

I have noticed that so many people really are predjudiced against people with mental illness....I've noticed how people assume those with illnesses like schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder are not very intelligent, and 'talk down' to mentally ill people, or use mental-health staff as 'go-betweens' rather than talking directly to the person! I am a person with schizoaffective disorder, and I'm far from stupid...it just takes me a few seconds to respond, because I think before I say anything. And then there are people who tease or mock someone with a mental illness because they act 'different' or have tics because of medication side effects..Most people with mental illness are harmless and will not cause trouble if they're stable on meds.
Just because someone has a mental illness is not a real reason to disrespect or avoid them. I'm just a person who happens to have a psychiatric disorder. But that's not all I am.

And psyengine, why are you saying there's something wrong with being around mentally ill or poor people...look all around you..people with mental illness who are stable hold jobs and even raise families. As for celebrities, there are two I know of that have been open about having bipolar disorder..Patty Duke and Maurice Benard both are people with bipolar disorder..and hey, they're far from bad or poor!

Answer 1

I have several anxiety disorders and you tell people and they treat you different. When they don't know they find you highly intelingent. Funny isn't it? People should be treated good and to the level they can understand if your able to get to it. Some of the greatest minds had disorders. :-)

Answer 2

The media has done a great dis-service by portraying people with mental illness as dangerous people to be feared.

Also people fear what they do not understand. We are only starting to really gain an understanding of mental illnesses. If fact it was only as recent as the 1950's that we had the first medications to treat mental illnesses. We are learning more and more every year. Unfortunately the general public is not keeping up with the learning.

Society as a whole needs to put the person before the illness. Instead of getting caught up in the illness, we need to understand there is a human being there and treat them with the same dignity and respect that every human life deserves.

Answer 3

There is a book by Foucault called Madness and Civilization that is really good. Its a history of how mental illness has been dealth with throughout history. Considering the fact that mentally ill people were once put on a ship and sent out to sea to their deaths (the ship of fools) we have made a lot of progress, however we still have a long way to go. The fact is that people tend to put down things they don't understand, or people who don't fit their definition of "normal". Its the product of ignorace.

The raving lunacy of people like Tom Cruise and other Scientologists who claim that mental disorders do not really exist doesn't help either.

Answer 4

The problem lies with the subject of Psychiatry itself, not its customers/victims.

The word "schizophrenia" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".

It is not a "disease", despite claims made in certain peoples answers here. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "schizophrenia" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".

"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD (Neurologist, Pediatric Neurology), & Fellow at the American Academy of Neurology.

"Chemical imbalance…it’s a shorthand term really, it’s probably drug industry derived… We don’t have tests because to do it, you’d probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.

Symptoms that psychiatry labels as "schizophrenia" (or it's related disorders), can stem from any number of variable sources. Many people have overcome disorders such as "bipolar" and "schizophrenia" through effective megavitamin therapy and effective nutrition. A growing wealth of evidence supports that underlying nutritional deficiencies can cause even the most severe mental disorders, including "schizophrenia". [1,2,3,4,5,6]

You may also be interested to know that the work undertaken by pioneers such as Dr. Lars Martensson and the late Dr. Loren Mosher show that there is also another way - far safer and more effective than psychiatric restraint, drugs and electro-shocks. For over a decade Loren R Mosher, MD, held a central position in American psychiatric research. He was the first Chief of the Center for Studies of Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health, 1969-1980. He founded the Schizophrenia Bulletin and for ten years he was its Editor-in-Chief. He also led the Soteria Project, which demonstrated that effective rehabilitation is possible without harmful antipsychotic drugs. Soteria provided a safe and sane environment where schizophrenic patients could stay, medication-free, with a young, nonprofessional staff trained to listen to and understand them and provide companionship. The idea was that schizophrenia can often be overcome with the help of meaningful relationships, rather than with drugs, and that such treatment would eventually lead to unquestionably healthier lives. The results were fantastic. Over just 6 weeks, patients recovered as quickly as those treated with medication in hospitals. [7,8]

Bottom line? Psychiatry is a belief-system, a "faith", not a science. Despite the huge marketing strategies, the so-called "research" and all the propaganda thrown at the world, there is not one iota of scientific evidence that proves that "schizophrenia" or ANY mental illness, in fact, exists as an actual --medical disease--.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health states: “The precise causes (etiology) of mental disorders are not known” and that “there is no definitive lesion, laboratory test, or abnormality in brain tissue that can identify the illness.”

If you have been told differently then know this: You have been lied to.

For more information, please visit:

http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters
Decoding Psychiatric Propaganda

See also http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/default.htm#S

Answer 5

People fear what they do not understand. And their lack of understanding can make them feel threatened...so they react immaturely, and treat the person wrongly.

You are obviously a very intelligent person. Much more intelligent than those who mock you. Stand strong, and use your illness and understanding of your illness to educate people who otherwise would not understand.

Keep your head up. You're an awesome person with an excellent understanding! Put it to use!

Amy

Answer 6

admitting you have a mental illness is akin to coming out about being gay..... but worse...

people do think and treat someone with a mental illness as if you are intellectually deficient....

I think it will be a loooooonnnnnnnggggg time for those attitudes to change...

personally I find the most frustrating thing is when psychiatrists wont even communicate what they think is wrong with you.... and wont even tell my gp.... despite me asking them to do so..
It's like some state secret...

Answer 7

To look at the classification label the other way, how is it that many nuts succeed in life as in religion, politics and the sciences. I'm not so sure that it is soley because they have an emotional or intellectual deficiency, but the fact they are poor working class people. Some of the greatest most homocidal people in human history were quackers.....Egoists don't like strange and poor people, poor people are bad enough to be seen with, unless your slumming of course, charity work....Speaking of meds, I wonder how many stars of society are on meds. I guess the competition gets to them after a while, and their conscience.