STIGMAS and MISCONCEPTS

Dr. Sohail Ahmed Miss Sabira Yousuf Assistant Professor Clinical Psychologist

Dept. of Psychiatry Dept. of Psychiatry

What is Stigma & Misconceptions ?

Stigma marks an individual out as being different and evokes some form of sanction

In common usage the word signifies a disgrace or defect

Misconcept is simply a wrong concept which is not based on logical grounds

STIGMAS

Can you mention any stigmas related to some diseases?

STIGMAS/MISCONCEPTIONS RELATED TO VARIOUS DISEASES:HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS as punishment (e.g. for immoral

behaviour) HIV/AIDS as horror (e.g. in which infected

people are demonized and feared) HIV/AIDS is spread only through sexual

contact. HIV/AIDS is a contagious illness. (it can

spread through touching, sharing utensils, talking etc)

EPILEPSY One teenager with epilepsy described what

happened to her life after the mortifying event of having a grand mal seizure in front of the entire school during a school assembly: “The next week I went back to school, and people treated me different. They didn’t want to get close to me or touch me, probably because they didn’t want to catch the disease. I tried to explain that you can’t catch seizures, but they didn’t understand. I was not included. I was not invited over to anybody’s house anymore. I felt sad, and alone— like nobody cared for me.”

• WHO estimates that in developing countries, 60% to 90% of people with epilepsy receive no treatment, which they attributed to access to care and stigma.

• Epilepsy is sometimes considered to be a result of possession by super natural forces.

• An epileptic patient can be treated by the smell of shoes.

EPILEPSY

TUBERCULOSIS:

In rural areas of India, young women with TB have a reduced chance to marry; if they are married, they may be abandoned by husbands or harassed by in-laws. The diagnosis brings such shame and discrimination that a health care provider may tell the patient she has asthma, fearing what will happen to her.

LEPROSY:

Being treated like a leper” is a phrase that refers to stigmatization of people with leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but this phrase is relevant to the experience of all of those who are marginalized.

These diseases are also considered to be contagious.

MEDIA AND MENTAL HEALTH STIGMAS

Newspapers, in particular, often stress a history of mental illness in the backgrounds of people who commit crimes of violence. 

Most of the television characters with a mental illness are portrayed to be violent.

Comedians make fun of people with mental illnesses, using their disabilities as a source of humor.

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS

Myth: People with mental illnesses are violent and unpredictable.Fact: In reality, the vast majority of people who have mental health needs are no more violent than anyone else.

Myth: Mental illnesses cannot affect me.Fact: Mental illnesses are surprisingly common. they affect almost every family in our society.

Myth: Mental illnesses are brought on by a weakness of character or evils of supernatural forces

Fact: Mental illnesses are a product of the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. hereditary/environmental factors can be responsible for the onset of mental illness.

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS Myth: Once people develop mental illnesses, they

will never recover.Fact: Studies show that most people with mental illnesses get better, and many recover completely.

Myth: Children do not experience mental illnesses. Their actions are just products of bad parenting.Fact: A report from the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health showed that in any given year 5-9 percent of children experience serious emotional disturbances.

Myth: Children misbehave or fail in school just to get attention.Fact: Behavior problems can be symptoms of emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders, rather than merely attention-seeking devices.

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS Myth: People with mental illnesses cannot

tolerate the stress of holding down a job.Fact: In essence, all jobs are stressful to some extent.

Myth: dealing with mental illness can induce psychological problems in the therapist.

Fact: scientific evidence does not support this idea provided that the therapist has a stable personality.

Name some of the misconceptions in our culture related to health

MISCONCEPTS RELATED TO ILLNSSES IN OUR CULTURE: Vitamins are essentially required for every ill person as

well as healthy people. “Parhez” is a very important aspect of treatment in

every patient. Some food items are considered “hot” (e.g., Garlic,

kalonji) and others are considered “cold" (e.g., citrus fruits)

Misconceptions regarding the normal sexual anatomy and physiology.

Misconceptions regarding blood donation/taking blood samples for investigation)

Non pharmacological approaches towards treatment of certain viral illnesses like hepatitis, measles, chicken pox.

FACTORS LEADING TO STIGMAS AND MISCONCEPTS Culture Media Misinterpretations of Religious beliefs Illiteracy

What will be the outcomes if the stigmas and misconceptions regarding health continue to prevail?

What can doctors do in order to remove these stigmas and misconceptions?