Prejudice against mental illness
Thesis
People with mental illness are more accepted and treated better than they were in the past but people still have an underlying prejudice against mental illness. If people spread more information about mental illness than people wouldn't feel like mental illness was a "taboo" subject.
Article Support
- The article explains how the girl scouts are spreading awareness of bipolar disorder with a new patch.
"IU study: 'Backbone' of mental illness stigma common in 16 countries studied"
- The article says that although there is more acceptance of mental illness people still prejudiced against people with mental illnesses.
"A history of treatment for mental illness"
- The article explains the history of the treatment of mental illness.
Analysis
*People recognize mental illness but because they have such a negative connotation about it, it can make it hard for people to get treatment or support. By The Girl Scouts, a respected organization, helping to spread awareness about mental illness they can cause people to stray from the idea that mental illness is something to look down on.
2. "IU study: 'Backbone' of mental illness stigma common in 16 countries studied" - "An international study found that despite widespread acceptance that mental illness is a disease that can be effectively treated, a common "backbone" of prejudice exists that unfairly paints people with conditions such as depression and schizophrenia as undesirable for close personal relationships and positions of authority."
*People may be beginning to understand mental illness but people still hold prejudice against people who have mental illnesses. Holding prejudice against mental illnesses could cause a person a job or cause them to lose personal relationships.
3. "A history of treatment for mental illness"
*Mental illness has been treated with unfair punishments for a long time in the United States. Only in recent years has proper care for people with mental illness began to be provided.
Opposition
- "Every year, about 42.5 million American adults (or 18.2 percent of the total adult population in the United States) suffers from some mental illness, enduring conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, statistics released Friday reveal." (source)
2. "Spreading awareness doesn't help"
- Spreading awareness/educating people can stop people from having negative opinions about mental illness
3. "How can spreading awareness help people get support/help?"
- "While mental illness is more prevalent than diabetes or cancer, unlike those diseases, mental illness carries a stigma that causes additional suffering and often is a barrier to treatment and support."
Spreading awareness can get rid of the stigma associated with mental illness and help people get help/support.
Sources
- National Institute of Health: The Washington Post; June 28 2014 "A history of treatment for mental illness"
- "IU study: 'Backbone' of mental illness stigma common in 16 countries studied." Mental Health Weekly Digest 22 Apr. 2013: 31 Opposing Viewpoints in context. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
- "Girl Scouts Engage in the Fight Against Mental Illness Stigma with Mental Health Awareness Patch." Mental Health Weekly DIgest 23 Sept. 2013: 161. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 23 Dec. 2014