Mental Illness and Families - The Stigmas They Must Overcome

Mental illness is a complex and difficult issue for families to cope with. It is unique in that it comes with all the stressors and adaptations discussed above, along with a whole new set of challenges due to the nature of the illness and the way it is perceived by society. To begin with, mental illness brings a different set of initial reactions, emotions, and care giving tasks than physical illness. Many say that denial is extremely common for family members after learning of the illness, and many start to resent the behavior of their loved one because it is embarrassing, frustrating, etc. There is also a common sense of loss over the person they knew, which can also create distance between siblings or parents who were previously very close to him/her. Commonly families lack an understanding of the illness as well, especially at first. As opposed to a disease such as cancer, mental illness are talked about less and understood less by society. As a result, family members who are also care-givers can often feel overwhelmed or as though they have lost control due to a lack of education or knowledge. Therefore, finding resources both educational and supportive is vital in order to help the family gain a sense of security and discernment in their care-giving and their ability to deal with their family member’s behaviors, out bursts, episodes, hallucinations, etc. Another problem is that when some family members do not understand or are not supportive of the ill member, it can create great distance among immediate or extended family members who are looking to protect and defend him/her. Lastly, one of the most difficult aspects of caring for a mentally ill family member is that they often rebel against help or treatment, and can react in a hostile way even to close family members trying to help. Obviously, this can become extremely discouraging and frustrating for those trying to support and care for them, and again can begin to dishearten family members. The important thing though for family members to grasp and believe is that mental illness does not necessarily mean incapable or incapacitated! Therefore, there is always hope, not necessarily in recovery, but in learning and succeeding in life amidst the illness. As a result of all of these added stressors, these are some suggestions for coping and handling:
• Have a plan of action for times when acute symptoms may occur
• Learn to recognize signs of relapse so that it can be caught early
• Get ahead by seeing situations that may cause trouble (such as inviting a family member to a party who is uncomfortable with the situation) in order to take care of these things in advance
• Leave decisions such as stopping or changing treatment up to your doctors so that you do not have to make them on your own
• Do not expect everything to get better at once
• Do not agree with delusions, hallucinations, etc. Be realistic without being judgmental or harsh
These are just a few suggestions of how to manage care and emotional stress, and the number one suggestions for family members is to find support groups for families of mentally ill members. Because it is such a unique illness, it is really impossible for people to truly understand or say they understand unless they have or are experiencing it themselves. As a result, finding a group of people who genuinely do understand what you are going through is extremely helpful coping mechanism.

With all of the complications and struggles listed above, it is clear that mental illness is a particularly difficult sickness for families to care for and adjust to simply due to the nature of the behaviors and affects of the illness. Unfortunately though, on top of all of this, families and their sick member must deal with the various stigmas that society applies to mental illness. According to a study done by the National Mental Health Association on the causes of mental illness:
• 71% of people believe that mental illness is caused by emotional weakness
• 65% believe it is caused by poor parenting
• And 43% believed it is caused in some way by the individual
(“Mental Health Matters”)
In a medically and technologically advanced culture, it is really alarming that with all we know about the biological causes and working of mental illness, a significant number of people still hold on to these false ideas and beliefs. One study showed that mental illness “is one of the most highly rejected conditions, clustering with prostitution, drug addiction, and ex-convict status rather than with cancer, diabetes, and heart disease”. (The Consequences of Stigma for People With Mental Illnes: Evidence from the Social Sciences). I was amazed at the multitude of articles and resources I found regarding stigmas from a simple search on mental illness, but a study like this reveals why! The two are essentially connected in an extremely unfortunate and harmful way. Society stills sees mental illness in many ways as an individual weakness, and therefore does not validate it in the same way as other diseases. At the same time, there is also a stigma that creates fear around mental illness and those who suffer from it. Many people fear that all people with mental illness are violent, while the reality is that the majority do not suffer from violent behavior, and those who do are most commonly triggered by normal stressors such as being threatened. Therefore, society acts cautiously and even avoids those with mental illness due to a stigmatized fear of danger or aggressive behavior. In addition, mental illness caries the stigma of incompetence – meaning that people do not think people who suffer from this type of illness are ever capable of being responsible or holding professional positions. As a result, they end up being treated as second-class citizens who can not hold jobs or take on any type of liability. Again, in reality the majority of those who are mentally ill are capable of work, and their qualifications should be looked at the same as everyone else’s. There are of course mental illness that keep people form being able to hold jobs, but this is not the case for most and thus should be applied to this type of illness as a general problem (ie. stigmatized!)
Just as stigmas usually do – the stigmas attached to mental illness lead to common discrimination by society against this population. Those who suffer from these conditions are often denied employment, denied or receive inadequate insurance, are mistrusted due to fear, and are even rejected or isolated by their family and/or friends. This can then lead to unhealthy behaviors such as being unwilling to recognize or seek help and treatment for their condition due to fear or judgment or maltreatment.
In this way, we see how societal stigmas attached to this disease can both affect family life and the life and health of the person suffering from it. Families often isolate themselves out of fear of embarrassment or criticism of their family member, or even due to fear regarding the safety of their family member. This can be extremely harmful, and goes against all suggestions to help care givers manage their own self-care. Instead they need to remain active in their social circles, activities, and support groups. In the same way, people with mental illnesses can actually suffer physically from these stigmas if they discourage them from getting help or treatment.
In the end, as a society we need to start talking more about this issue and recognizing our false assumptions and fears regarding this disease. If this happens, society can become a support system for people with mental illness and their families rather than a threat or hindrance to their coping and recovery process.

In response to this subject:
1) Do you have any experiences with mental illness either in your family, your community, or among friends in which you have seen these difficulties arise?
2) What are your reactions to the statistics and opinion poles given above? Do you think you would have answered similarly?
3) In the same way, do you feel as though you have been well educated about mental illness, or does it seem like a foreign or untalked about issue in your life?
4) How do you feel about the stigmas society has applied to mental issues? Do you see how societal forces can, in this way, cause problems in the lives of sufferers and their families? Why or why not?


Sources:

“A Resource Guide For Families Dealing with Mental Illness” The NAMI Family Michigan Resource Guide
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDCH-MentalIllness-10AUG04_102671_7.pdf

Tasman, A., Fink. P. “The Consequences of Stigma for People With Mental Illness: Evidence from the Social Sciences” (2002). Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press Inc.
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=gmCxeAw7-Z4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA87&dq=stigmas+of+mental+illness&ots=3jHMGAfhc8&sig=Gb3liSYqnaSy1QUsKJxtWleNJYs#v=onepage&q&f=false

“Stigma” – DuPage County Health Department
http://www.dupagehealth.org/mental_health/stigma.html

“Working with the Family: Impact of Mental Illness on Families”
http://www.pathways2promise.org/family/impact.htm