The false perceptions and associated stigmas of mental health illness continue to be an on going and reoccurring problem in today’s society. What we know is that despite ongoing information we gain on the topic, mental health disorders are still vastly misunderstood and untreated. When people go uneducated on the topic, we see that treatment for mental health issues does not become a priority, symptoms often become worse or unmanageable, and people believe options for recovery are inaccessible. People often judge others suffering from mental health issues by their symptoms, rather than on the illness. Throughout the years mental illness has gained more attention in the media, with new literature or even with recent movie stars coming forward to talk about their own depression or substance use. This has made the subject of mental illness more common to discuss in households or modern society, but we still find old age stigmas and false perceptions exist.

There was a time, decades ago, when all issues of mental illness were not discussed or spoken about. People had a view of the mentally ill as not recoverable or that they should be locked away. We all remember the novel by Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which later became an acclaimed movie staring Jack Nicholson. This type of depiction of mental illness became a back drop for society on how people with mental illness act, should be treated, and the types of establishments they get sequestered to. Thinking of a person suffering from mental health symptoms as “crazy” or “cuckoo,” became common among households. It wasn’t uncommon for parents to be seen shielding their children from individuals in society that appeared to be mentally ill, or for families to ostracize their kin who might be exhibiting symptoms, and most people just decided to avoid the subject altogether.

With the wealth of research and information that society has gained from studies and the de-institutionalization movement of the 1960’s , we have seen a progressing trend towards bringing more awareness to the true facts on mental illness, substance disorders, and preventing stigmas about them from perpetuating. Despite this progressing trend, we know that the fight to bring society’s awareness to higher ground continues to be a challenging one. There is still a large majority of people that perhaps have not been exposed to the subject, or have not had personal reasons to gain information, and who stay convinced that mental illness is something to be ashamed of or deny treatment for.

The trend that continues is that physical ailments gain more respect and attention than mental health ones. Trends across nations show that despite the progress made in educating society about and re-defining mental health and substance disorders, people continue to feel stigmatized and as a result are more reluctant to seek treatment for these issues.

Abraham Law, who was the founder of the Recovery Method, wrote about this topic in his book, My Dear Ones. He eloquently asked the most basic question; “Why should there be a distinction between people who are sick above the neck and those sick below the neck?” The answer is that there should be no distinction at all.

Two stigmas that society continues to perpetuate, social and perceived, prevent individuals from seeking and receiving treatment for recovery. Social stigmas are more external and come from the behaviors and actions of others, such as family, work, or social connections. This type of stigma is carried on in the way a person is treated when they are perceived as having a mental health issue. Some people lose their employment, are shunned by their relatives, or lose friends during times when their symptoms become harder to manage.

Perceived stigmas are self perpetuated. They are the stigmas that an individual makes up about themselves. These stigmas create self dialogue that often carry damaging negative beliefs that they are “crazy,” “damaged,” “worthless,” or “unlovable/unwanted.” This self-stigma carries a great deal of weight in the process of seeking help. This perceived self belief prevents an individual from reaching out for treatment, believing they can recover, and greatly affects their treatment outcomes. The negative perception leads to increased shame and guilt which has been shown to negatively impact their ability to progress in treatment once they do get help.