Reflective Journal: Why there is Stigma and Shame Associated with Mental Illness in different cultures

Research and advancement in technology as well as medicine has made improved mental health care over the last few decades. However, there are still many individuals across the world that are suffering from mental illness. Mental illness stigma remains to be contentious issue that has been of debate in the public and professional as well as scholarly domain. While most individuals may just hear of this through the news, different cultures have their own ways of levelling stigma or shame on the mentally
ill individuals. Mental illness stigma in this case refers to the devaluation, act of demeaning, disgracing and disfavouring an individual based on their perceived mental health (Cheon & Chiao, 2012). This paper is a reflection on why most cultures worldwide have stigma or shame being associated with mental illness however much there is difference of health and well-being perspectives.
It is a known fact that stigma has various consequences on its victims and the community around them with the family being immediate group to feel the effects (Cheon & Chiao, 2012).  However, most cultures have viewed the people with mental illness as outcasts of the community and most of the well-being individuals do not take their time attending to them either. When it comes to matters f development they are often marginalized. Some communities such as the Islam community believe that mental illness is a curse and that associating with such individuals who are mentally ill is wrong. The Asian American Indian tribes for instance culturally believe that mental illness is shameful and thus stigmatize such cases (Cheon & Chiao, 2012). Confucian culture understands mental illness as a condition that makes one over dependent and unable to fulfil their obligations (Cheon & Chiao, 2012). Chinee believe that mental illness erodes the face of the community and the family in general and thus marginalize the cases.
The Asian Cultures strongly believe that mental illness and mental health individuals are shameful, abnormal, morally deficient and threatening to the community. The victims of mental illness are culturally seen to be a burden and that they are unable to fulfil social and economic obligations which form the central cultural values (Cheon & Chiao, 2012). Most individuals also mistrust the people who are mentally ill and see them as danger. For that reason most of the cultures especially African American cultures leave them for the streets or send them for good to psychiatric centres. Some cultures like the Muslim sub-cultures believe that women are the source of mental illness in children (Cheon & Chiao, 2012). Whenever such cases are encountered the woman and the child are secluded from the rest of the society. Mental illness is even linked in some cultures such as Indian culture to demonic attacks and so individuals are seen as shame to the moral face of the community.
Culture as can be seen is a determinant on the level of stigmatization the mentally ill individuals will get. However much people may feel for the mentally ill to the extent of closing for them in roots and sending them to psychiatric families, culture comes in to disrupt and change the face of humanity in the community. More studies should be taken on the ethno cultural perceptions of mental illness and sound solutions be provided as the statistics of mental ill cases are rising day in day out.
Reference (s)
Cheon, B. K., & Chiao, J. Y. (2012). Cultural Variation in Implicit Mental Illness Stigma. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43(7), 1058– 1062.