Factors influencing mental illness stigma in Iran: Qualitative study Alireza Momeni, Soroor Parvizy, Nargess Shafaroodi Iran University of Medical Sciences.

Factors influencing mental illness stigma in Iran: Qualitative study

Alireza Momeni, Soroor Parvizy, Nargess Shafaroodi

Iran University of Medical Sciences

To: people with a diagnosis of

mental illness as a part of

society

Structure Aim: to investigate the factors influencing mental illness stigma in Iran.

METHOD: A content analysis with a qualitative approach Semi-structured interviews12 participants(5femal, 7male) aged 22 – 61years including people with a diagnosis of mental illness, mental health professionals and lawyer. purposive sampling from three psychiatric centers in Tehran

The main Factors

Lack of public knowledge relating mental illness

According a psychiatrist, most of the people consider all the mental patients to two or three certain mental disorders, which is due to lack of knowledge.

Negative attitudes

A social worker

"… Stigma is not a disease, my viewpoint regarding to such patient generates stigma… the viewpoints of me and of others cause stigma which make both the patient and his family suffer from it…"

Negative attitudes

A lawyer

“…Unfortunately, the public attitude towards the mental patients is not a positive one… in fact social stigma and the negative opinion which is not limited only to those who have no high education. There are also some highly- educated people who has not studies about the mental patients, they don't know them, and may have the same attitude of an illiterate person toward the mental patients, I have seen by my own eyes, there were even some people who had a PhD but not in the field of health, and their attitude in this regard was even worse than the others …"

"… some physicians have such stigmatizing view toward the People with a mental illness …"

A psychiatrist

Stereotypes

Stereotypes and a series of traditional thoughts about the mental disorders results in emotional and behavioral reactions of the individuals in relating and interacting with the people with a diagnosis of mental illness.

people with a diagnosis of mental illness are violent and dangerous.

They are uncontrolled.

They may not be cured.They are disabled person and a permanent dependent.

"…a mental patient is worse than leprosy, we

shake hand with that patient, sit with him, but families abandon mental

patients…"

"…a mental patient is worse than leprosy, we

shake hand with that patient, sit with him, but families abandon mental

patients…"

An individual with a diagnosis of mental illness

…"they don’t pay attention to us or our works, I mean they say he is sick until the last day of his

life so we shouldn't give him money, he shouldn't have any facilities, so we get sicker and

sicker day by day"…An individual with a diagnosis of

mental illness

Insufficient treatment process

Defective treatment and rehabilitation process of the mental patients is also the

basis for generating of stigma for the mental patients in the public.

A Psychiatrist

"…, in prevention level when we do not give a proper knowledge or a wrong

knowledge is given, then there is stigma, also when rehabilitation is not made

correctly in the third level, then it means the mental patients may not be cured and that they will always remain like that…"

“… if the process of assessment, treatment, and caring is not done properly, that will be

quite effective… "

A nurse

is one of the issues which plays a role in establishment of stigma in the mental

patients.

Weakness of the law relating mental illness

A social workers talks about the lack of a separate rule in the field mental health and says:

… "why we should not have a separate mental health rule, well, which rule shall be comply to, and which rule can the patient

use"…

Negative influence of mediaThe Stigmatization Role of TV

"… watch the advertisement we have seen about the mental patient,… they show a patient who has an untidy appearance, well, In fact, all the mental patients are not like that…"An individual with a diagnosis of mental illness

Neglecting the mental disease by the media

"… TV, media, newspapers, etc. they all may have positive effects on the public trust toward the

mental patients, but unfortunately their role in this regard is not clear, and those who practice in this field are also refuse to enter the discussion of

the mental patients…"A lawyer says

The findings showed although stigma is identified as a major concern to most people with a diagnosis of mental illness in

different societies, but it largely depends on social, cultural and

ideological context.

CONCLUSION

Understanding of the Socio-cultural factors contributing to stigma is considerably important to develop anti-stigma programs.

Suggestions

educational programs changing public attitudes towards mental illness alterations in media depictionsadopting Proper legislationenhancing effective treatments

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