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Mental Illness Stigma Study |
Wellington, July 9 NZPA
A new study to be released in Wellington today examines the effects of stigma faced by people living with mental illness.
The study, undertaken by the Mental Health Foundation, surveys the experiences of 76 men and women from around the country, including Pakeha, Maori, Pacific Islanders, youth and refugees.
Foundation chief executive Judi Clements said the study found negative messages about mental illness within society shaped and reinforced the attitudes people with mental health problems had towards themselves.
"These attitudes hold people back from full participation in society, and create a cycle of internalised stigma, or `self-stigma'."
One in five New Zealanders report being diagnosed with mental illness in any one year, and the ratio rises to two in five when reporting diagnosis at some point during their lives.
Participants in the study reported experiencing isolation, rejection by family and peers, and pessimism about their prospects of recovery.
Ways to counter self-stigma included building visibility of people with mental illness, building peer support networks and encouraging mental health services to focus on recovery.
Ms Clements said the problem of self-stigma would be solved through "celebrating and accepting difference in society, rather than rejecting it".
People with mental illness were in successful employment, having relationships and families, and acting as positive role models.
"This needs to be recognised, and we hope this study will encourage families, employers, healthcare workers and the media to play a role in that."
Fighting Shadows: Self-Stigma and Mental Illness: Whawhai Atu te Whakama Hihira will be launched today by Governor General, Hon Anand Satyanand.
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Credit:NZPA
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