What is it about?
This paper gives several case vignettes where patients, psychiatry and psychiatrists are discriminated negatively due to stigma attached to mental illnesses. Each case is followed by a discussion. This discussion gives a deeper analysis of stigma and discrimination followed by a look at the attitudes we have that knowingly or unknowingly contribute to stigma/ discrimination. It also covers effective ways to counter stigma/ discrimination in the particular case vignette. Such effective ways are summarised in the end.
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Why is it important?
This sheds light on areas we generally are not aware, mostly attitudes/ beliefs we have about patients and their illnesses. Even psychiatrists, other health professionals and patients themselves may have these beliefs. A critical and a bold look at such beliefs are likely to change we see and feel about psychiatry, psychiatrists and patients with mental illnesses.
Perspectives
I have always been fascinated why people create stereotypes in day to day life. Later, I started to see how certain forces sometimes deliberately create or propagate certain stereotypes. Breaking these stereotypes always looked exciting to me. Of course, that is a very effective way of changing attitudes and behaviour. This is an application of same in relation to stigma associated with mental illnesses.
Dr. Mahesh Rajasuriya
University of Colombo
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Challenges and opportunities in stigma for psychiatrists: An analysis of effective coping mechanisms to reduce stigma associated with mental illnesses, Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry, June 2015, Sri Lanka Journals Online (SLJOL),
DOI: 10.4038/sljpsyc.v6i1.8058.
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