Controversies in psychiatry

Question 1

What is stigma?

Answer 1

A social construction that devalues people due to a distiguishing characteristic or mark

Question 2

What is discrimination?

Answer 2

Behaviour towards another group - excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities available to another group

Question 3

What is prejudice?

Answer 3

Prejudgement - assumptions made about people

Question 4

What causes stigma?

Answer 4

Attitudes developed early in childhood
Stable over many years
Influenced by personal experience
Older males with less education
Tolerance depends on closeness of interaction
Little change in attitudes over last 50 years

Question 5

How can we combat stigma?

Answer 5

View people as individuals
Good medication management
CBT approach to help overcome felt stigma
Consider own attitudes and awareness - disrespectful jokes, etc
Us and Them attitude
Influence of celebrities

Question 6

What is antipsychiatry?

Answer 6

People who believe psychiatry shouldn’t exist due to mental illness not being illness

Question 7

What are controversies in psychiatry?

Answer 7

How things are diagnosed
Social control
Treatment without consent
Rising rates of antidepressant prescription
Security
Detention