Perception of Patients with Mental Disorders

Perception of Patients with Mental Disorders
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Perception of Patients with Mental Disorders Introduction One of the major categories of diseases prevalent in society today is mental disorders. In the United States, about one in five adults will live with some kind of mental health illness (NIH, 2022). During the last two years when the world experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of developing mental disorders elevated significantly, with four in ten U.S. adults experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, up from one in ten prior to the pandemic (Panchal et al., 2021). Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [2020], in itself, COVID-19 was associated with neurological and mental complications like stroke, agitation, and delirium. In this sense, mental disorders are a major challenge in the world today and a lot can be learned from Sacks (1985) who through his book demonstrates that there is more to patients with mental disorders. This paper examines how patients with mental disorders are perceived and what can be learned from Sacks (1985) to change for the better. Existing Perception of Patients with Mental Disorders The perception people have towards patients with mental disorders is worrying. Perhaps the negative perception toward people with mental disorders was the biggest motivator for Sacks (1985) to write his book. It is arguable that Sacks (1885) sought to spread awareness that individuals with mental health disorders, while limited in some aspects, can be gifted in others. However, despite the book being published more than three decades ago, literature shows that the general perception of people with mental disorders is negative. The most surprising aspect of negative attitudes towards patients with mental disorders is that even health professionals perpetuate them. According to Anguiano et al. (2019), while one would expect that health practitioners have more positive attitudes towards the mentally ill since they have the knowledge of the conditions, the opposite seems to be true. Specifically, older general practitioners have been found to show more negative attitudes towards patients with mental disorders (Anguiano et al., 2019). Interestingly, if a general practitioner has spent a high amount of time with patients with a particular mental disorder, they tend to show lower levels of negative attitudes. One of the greatest influences on the perception of mental health is culture. According to Unite for Sight (n.d.), people’s attitudes towards mental disorders are dependent on cultures, ethnicities, and families. Religious and cultural teachings influence how people perceive the nature and origin of mental disorders. Many cultures around the world are characterized by the stigma around mental health and it is considered a weakness to have mental health challenges (Mental Health First Aid USA, 2019). In addition, culture not only influences whether or not one chooses to open up about symptoms of a mental disorder, but it also determines the level of support one receives from family and members of the community. In many Asian cultures that are often characterized by self-control and conformity to certain norms, there is the stigmatization of mental disorders as they are considered a source of shame. The article by Unite for Sight (n.d.) cites a study that found that almost a third of African Americans perceive depression as a personal weakness. In this sense, understanding the stigma and discrimination that patients with mental disorders experience is integral to developing effective interventions to change attitudes. Stigma and Discrimination As described above, patients with mental disorders experience stigma and discrimination not only from laypeople but also from practitioners in healthcare. It is thus important to understand the stigma and discrimination that characterizes the experiences of such patients. As reported by Tyerman et al. (2021), the encounters between patients with mental disorders and nurses created feelings of emotional distress between both parties particularly due to stigmatization and discrimination experience. The authors note that when patients are discriminated against and stigmatized by caregivers, they experience feelings of fear, anger, and frustration.  Nurses providing care to such patients also tend to experience feelings of hopelessness and frustration. Therefore, it is evident that stigmatization is a major barrier that affects how patients with mental disorders access to care. Digging further into the issue of stigma could be instrumental in understanding what patients with mental disorders go through as well as in developing solutions that can address their situations.  Due to stigma, up to 40% of individuals with anxiety and depression do not seek help (Camh, n.d.).  An article by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) [2020] identifies three types of stigma: public, self, and institutional. Public stigma is characterized by the negative perception that other people have about mental disorders and is characterized by stereotypes such as individuals with mental disorders being incompetent or dangerous (APA, 2020). Given such negative perceptions, people with mental disorders are unlikely to be hired by some employers and some landlords may refuse to rent houses to them. Perhaps what’s more appalling is healthcare systems offering them a lower level of care (APA, 2020). According to Masuch et al. (2019), people with mental disorders recognize discrimination and stigmatization on a repeated and daily basis, which can further result in self-stigmatization.  Self-stigma involves the negative perceptions that people with mental disorders have about themselves and their condition (APA, 2020). In this case, individuals with mental disorders blame themselves for the condition or perceive themselves to be ...