Challenging The Stigma Of Mental Illness

The sigma behind mental illness make people feel afraid to talk about and seek support for their problems. They don’t feel safe to ask for help because of other people’s judgment towards them. Instead they put on a front and keep a secret identity and the pain to themselves. But why does this stigma still exit is 2017? After all the lectures and presentations on metal health the majority of us have heard in our lives, whether in high school, university or in the work field, some would think that the stigma of mental illness would be no more. This however, is unfortunately the opposite and the stigma still exists in some aspects. The problem is that people still don’t understand the reality of living with a mental disorder and it usually the people that are not it that
Ignorance is still persistence and some believe that its something that’s in the head and easy to overcome. This is why victims still fear to talk about their problems and instead just say, “I’m fine,” to be accepted by society standards. They are afraid to be looked at differently or seen as a time bomb that can explode at anytime. “Challenging the stigma of mental illness is going to require a multidimensional approach, providing the public with facts that challenge the variety of myths that maintain mental illness stigma (P.W. Corrigan and A.C. Watson).” Stigma received from the public can lead to self-stigma. People can make themselves believe that their problem does not exist and just to push through it. This would affect their work life, self-esteem, relationships and more importantly their health and