The_Effect_of_Media_on_the_Stigma_Towards_Mental_Illness

The Effect of Media on the Stigma Towards Mental Illness The Effect of Media on the Stigma Towards Mental Illness by Kim Harrison Stigma, as defined in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is a mark of shame or discredit or an identifying mark or characteristic. “In 1986, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reported that stigma was the most debilitating handicap faced by former mental patients” (Granello & Pauley, 2000, p. 162). Though there are many sources associated with stigma against individuals with mental illness, I believe the media’s portrayal of the mentally ill significantly contributes to this stigma. I see this in my own work almost every day. I work as an emergency services psychiatric intake counselor for a hospital with a full range of psychiatric and chemical dependency services. The fears of the patients take many forms from worrying about their employer finding out about treatment to patients asking if getting treatment makes them “crazy”. The one thing that continues to amaze me is the number of patients that will ask me if being hospitalized is anything like the film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. I have had patients who were not even born when the movie was released ask me this. This just further supports my belief that the mental, illness, about, media, stigma, people, mentally, ill, television, help, counselors, study, patients, movie, misinformation, individuals, against, 2000, take, should, one, media’s, inaccuracies, counseling, work, violent, treatment, therapy, source, reasons, pauley, nothing, need, mcguire, march, makes