Stigma and discrimination Flashcards
Define stigma
A sign of shame, disgrace or disapproval
To shun or reject
The word stigma comes from an old Greek word, meaning to brand or tattoo.
A combination of:
Ignorance – Problem of knowledge
Prejudice – Problem of attitude
Discrimination – Problem of behaviour
Define discrimination
is the systematic, unfair treatment of people, because they are different
Discrimination is a behaviour that says to people with mental illness or addiction issues that,
“we don’t want you here”,
“you’re not as good as us”,
“you’re not one of us”
“you are not important, and you don’t belong”.
What can discrimination impact?
Affects:
Discrimination of Families/ Whanau
Lack of information
Often Blamed for illness
Discrimination within Families/ Whanau
Lack of tolerance and understanding
Guilt and Shame
Frustration
That they can’t “fix it”
That services can’t “fix it” Exclusion of family/ whanau
Mental Health Services:
Not being involved in clinical decisions
Lack of consultation
Exclusive treatment of individuals
Assumption of ignorance
Blamed for problem – Child and adolescent
Community:
Social avoidance and exclusion
Lack of tolerance and knowledge from public services (school, church, general hospitals, police)
Reputations being inherited.
Migrant populations
Discrimination within Families:
Lack of education = Inaccuracy in knowledge = possibility of unhelpful/ abusive responses
Feeling responsible, ashamed of the reputation = less likely to ask for help
More likely to wait to long before accessing services
Feeling helpless to fix their loved one and frustrated that MH services can’t either
Self discrimination:
Discrimination of Families/ Whanau
Often Blamed for illness
Lack of tolerance and understanding
Guilt and Shame
Frustration
That they can’t “fix it”
That services can’t “fix it”
Exclusion of family/ whanau
Discrimination within Families:
Lack of education = Inaccuracy in knowledge = possibility of unhelpful/ abusive responses
Feeling responsible, ashamed of the reputation = less likely to ask for help
More likely to wait to long before accessing services
Feeling helpless to fix their loved one and frustrated that MH services can’t either
Community:
Social avoidance and exclusion
Lack of tolerance and knowledge from public services (school, church, general hospitals, police)
Reputations being inherited.
Migrant populations
Mental Health Services:
Not being involved in clinical decisions
Lack of consultation
Exclusive treatment of individuals
Assumption of ignorance
Blamed for problem – Child and adolescent
What are the principles of recovery
Is borne of hope
Is a journey defined by the individual
Needs a supportive environment to thrive
Involves individuals redefining who they are in the presence of a psychiatric label.
Is an active and ongoing process
Is a non-linear journey
Recovery skills can be learnt
Involves a person educating themselves about their illness
Learning to manage both internalised and external stigma and discrimination
What is trauma informed care?
A framework for human service delivery that is based on knowledge and understanding of how trauma effects the peoples lives
What is a trauma-informed approach?
A trauma-informed approach is a strengths-based model of care delivery which focuses on the persons strengths and competencies.
What are the trauma informed cares key features?
Valuing the individual in all aspects of care
Neutral, objective and supportive language
Individually flexible plans and approaches
Avoid shaming or humiliation at all times
Focusing on what happened to you ? Instead of what is wrong with you ?
Asking questions about current abuse
Addressing the current risk and developing a safety plan for discharge
One person sensitively asking the questions
Noting that people who are psychotic and delusional can respond reliably to trauma assessments if questions are asked appropriately
Impacts of stigma individuals
contributes to negative feelings such as shame, unworthiness, rejection, and loneliness.
some people who experience mental illness or addiction issues do not seek help for fear of it being a mark of social disgrace or attracting stigmatisation
Impact of self-discrimination
- discrimination of families/ whanau
- often blamed for the illness
- lack of tolerance and understanding
- guilt and shame
- frustration
- that they cant “fix it”
- those services can’t “fix it”
exclusion of family and whanau
impact of discrimination with families
lack of education= inaccuracy in knowledge= possibility of unhelpful/abusive responses
- feeling responsible, ashamed of the reputation = less likely to ask for help
- more likely to wait to long before accessing services
- feeling helpless to fix their loved ones and frustrated that MH services can’t either
impact on community
- social avoidance and exclusion- lack of tolerance and knowledge from public services (school, church, general hospital, police)
- reputation being inherited
- assumption of ignorance
- blamed for problem
guidelines for use of language in reducing stigma
- refer to people as people first and add specific characteristics only as required
- avoid referring to people as their illness
- avoid extending the nature of the persons illness with terms such as chronic, persistent or severe
Essentials of recovery oriented practice
- creating relationships of safety
- encouraging the person to have some sense of control
- engaging with curiosity
- attending to language and meaning
- tapping into the person’s own capacity for self-knowing
- facilitating self-help and personal responsibility
- trauma informed service delivery
Strengths model: principles
- people with mental illness can recover, reclaim and transform their lives
- focus is on the individuals strengths rather than deficits
- the community is viewed as an oasis of resources
4.the client is the director of the helping process - the nurse- client relationship os primary and essential
- the primary setting for our work is the community
Trauma
is the lasting adverse effects on a person’s or collective’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being, cause by events, circumstances or intergenerational historical traumatic experiences.
