Social Stigma Impeeding Mental Illness Recovery

Mental disorders fall along a continuum of severity. And just as in any continuum there is a group that falls in the severe end of that continuum. That proportion of the population is about 1 out of 17 Americans. According to NAMI.org the World Health Organization has reported that four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the US and other developed countries are mental disorders. If sever mental illness is left untreated the consequences for the individual affected and even for the society in which this individual resides are staggering. Consequences such as unemployment, substance abuse , homelessness, and even suicide are high economic costs. Unproductive members of a society tend to drain the society of it’s wealth and emotional stability. It’s estimated that the economic cost of untreated mental illness is more that 100 billion dollars EACH YEAR in the United States.

The stigma of mental illness is a major contributer of untreated mental illnesses. This stigma is derived from the individuals within the society who feel that other individuals who suffer from mental illness are a drain on their society. This forces a vicious cycle that only makes things worse.

The best treatment as I have stated before is not only the pharmacological treatments but also the psychosocial treatments and supports. According to NAMI, nearly 90 percent of individuals experience a significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life.

With the strong stigma for mental illness that is out there however this experience of an improved quality of life is impeded from the erosion of the confidence levels of the individual who suffer from mental illness due to an increased feeling of pressure and hopelessness. We as an American Society have allowed stigma to warrant structural and financial barriers that stunt the ability to recover and be treated. It’s time to take these barriers down.