1. I believe stigma is associated immensely with mental illness due to media portrayal of mental illness as well as a potential lack of understanding by society of mental illness. As the reading depicted in many movies specifically those that were released in the ’90s depicted mental illness in a negative light. Thus, society perceived individuals as dangerous, and odd. In society, there are social norms, when a social norm is broken by a group of individuals stigmatization and discrimination can follow suit. Thus, this stigmatization by society can have individuals within this society believe these negative connotations to be true. As a result, individuals who fall into this group due to public stigma can thus begin to contribute to self-stigma. Believing oneself to be inadequate, incompetent, and unable to be like the rest of society. Thus, barring oneself from receiving assistance into recovery.
2. Culture impacts not only mental illness but health as a whole. Culture can play a role in the way one describes the symptoms which they are experiencing, men in certain cultures believe stoicism is an admirable trait when experiencing pain. Culture can also play a role in the perception of disease versus illness thus, impacting the perception of mental health. One culture may perceive that their affected mental state could be a result of a spiritual imbalance. Thus, this can also be correlated to spirituality as one can perceive this as they were made this way in “God’s Creation”, cause spiritual distress, or that there is a spiritual imbalance within them.
