Mental Health and society

What is mental health

• refers to our overall psychological, emotional and social well-being 

• influences how we:

• think and feel

• cope with stress and challenges

• relate to others 

• function in our everyday lives

• mental health is not static 

• Mental health is not the absence of a mental illness, you can have a mental illness and have good mental health and vise versa

What is a mental illness?

• A condition that affects a person’s thinking, emotions, behaviour or ability to function 

• It can affect how a person feels, perceives the world, relates to others and copes with everyday life

• Can range from mild to severe and may be temporary or long-lasting

• DSM (diagnostic statistical manual for mental disorders)

What causes mental illness?

The Biopsychosocial model 

What is the The Biopsychosocial model 

Biological, psychological, social

biological

• Genetics, family history 

• Brain injuries, brain chemistry, neurotransmitter

• Hormonal, substance use

• Prenatural exposure to drugs and alcohol

Psychological

• Traumatic memories 

• Negative thinking patterns, low self-esteem

• Poor coping skills

• Difficulty in regulating emotions, learned helplessness 

• Black and white thinking, all of nothing 

Social

• Financial stress 

• Poverty 

• Adverse childhood experiences, neglect, 

• Physical and emotional abuse

• Loss of loved one

• Traumatic event 

• Toxic environment 

What can significantly increase the risk of violence among people with mental illness?

Substance use 

Concurrent

when someone has both a mental illness and substance abuse

Which mental illness is associated with one of the highest risks of suicide?

bipolar disorder

Which mental illness is most strongly associated with recurrent (non-suicidal) self-harm?

-BPD

emotions are intense and difficult to control, self-harm is like a relief

Is there any other correlation between mental illness and violence?

-people who have an underlying mental illness are much more likely to be victimized 

-victimization is by people they know

Stigma

A social process in which certain characteristics become deeply discrediting and reduce a person from a whole individual to someone viewed primarily through a negative label 

The spoiled identity

when someone is stigmatized, stigma becomes their master status the main label that they are viewed by 

Goffman’s 3 types of stigma

1. Abominations of the body- visible or bodily differences that society may respond to negatively 

Ex: birth marks, scars, skin conditions, body size, tattoo, physical disability/handicap, amputations, speech impairment 

2. Blemishes of individual character- the individual’s perceived character is viewed as immoral, flawed or weak

Ex: criminal record, recovery for drugs or alcohol, mental illness diagnoses, homelessness, unemployed

3. Tribal stigma- stigma that is associated with membership or perceived membership in a social group 

Ex: religion, skin colour, gender, sexual orientation 

Social stigma

1. what society thinks about the person with they stigmatized attribute/ who have a mental illness 

Ex: aggressive, violent, overreacting, lying, manipulative, unintelligent, inferior 

Internalized stigma

1. individuals take those negative stereotypes held by society and apply it to themselves and internalize these negative stereotypes 

Ex: self-destrictive behaviours, hopelessness, low-self worth 

Anticipated stigma

1. fear or the anticipation of being judged, rejected or humiliation/discriminated against because of underlying characteristic or attribute 

  -people will try to hide symptoms, socially withdraw or not disclose their mental illness  

Structural stigma

1. How does the structures of society treat people with mental illness

Ex:policy, laws, institutional practices, organizational layouts, treat those with mental illness differently  

Ex: mental health facilities, cjs, hospitals

Courtesy Stigma

1. Stigma that spreads to the associates of the stigmatized person 

Ex: family member, friend 

selective disclosure

 you are selective on who you disclose to, family members, close friends, partner, but not disclose to people you are not close to

How to disclose their mental disorder

-signaling: giving signs, drop hints, provide little clues to their mental illness without expliciting saying they do, hoping people catch on 

Ex: appointment with therapist, “I have to do something”, journaling, meditation, calming your mind

-Normalizing: more direct and minimize the significance of your mental illness so its not a big deal

Ex: yea I have OCD but everyone has their quirks, yea I have anxiety but everyone does

Factors influencing disclosure and concealment practices

1. Family norms of sharing 

• open vs closed orientation

• Individuals will be more likely to disclosure their mental illness if they come from a family from an open orientation meaning a family that is more open, wants to talk about things and tell things to people outside their family 

• Individuals from closed orientation are more likely to conceal mental illness, meaning families that turn a blind eye, don’t communicate, not willingly to share info with those outside the family 

• culture and gender 

2. Accumulated experiences of disclosure 

• Positive vs negative past experiences 

• Positive past experiences will lead you to feel more inclined to disclose in the future

• Negative past experiences will lead you to not be as inclined to disclose in the future 

3. Personal meaning ascribed to one’s diagnosis

• positive vs negative meaning 

• If you have a positive meaning you would want to disclose to others

• If you attribute a negative meaning it encourages concealment and discourages disclosure 

Positive deliberate disclosure and concealment practices

Enhancing personal/psychological recovery, community reintegration, support for others

Enhancing personal/psychological recovery 

• Not longer want to pretend that everything is ok, takes the weight off them and focus their energy off recovery, people understand them better, empowers them and puts energy into other things 

• For others, concealment may enhance their personal recovery as they want to be seen as normal

Community reintegration 

1. Disclosure as a means for attaining tangible supports in their day to day living and lives (informal)

         2. Disclosure as a means for attaining accommodations and or exemptions, more formal, ex: IEP, SASS students, accommodations in workplace

1. Concealing to avoid anticipated stigmatic responses, hinder community integration

support for others

• disclosure to fight the stigma associated with mental illness 

• Disclosure to give others hope 

Negative disclosure and concealment practices

1. Forced Disclosure 

• individual is not alone and around other people, experiencing hallucinations, delusions

• Exposure by a third party 

2. Concealment from health practitioners 

• Due to stigma