This document discusses destigmatizing psychiatric patients by refuting myths and promoting scientific understanding of mental illness. It explores how stigma arises from perceiving differences as undesirable traits and how culture and religion influence views of mental illness. While psychiatric disorders were once seen as supernatural, evidence-based diagnosis and treatment now emphasize that patients are people who happen to have a psychiatric condition. Reducing stigma requires accepting differences respectfully and encouraging people to rely on their own experiences rather than stereotypes.
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This document discusses destigmatizing psychiatric patients by refuting myths and promoting scientific understanding of mental illness. It explores how stigma arises from perceiving differences as undesirable traits and how culture and religion influence views of mental illness. While psychiatric disorders were once seen as supernatural, evidence-based diagnosis and treatment now emphasize that patients are people who happen to have a psychiatric condition. Reducing stigma requires accepting differences respectfully and encouraging people to rely on their own experiences rather than stereotypes.
This document discusses destigmatizing psychiatric patients by refuting myths and promoting scientific understanding of mental illness. It explores how stigma arises from perceiving differences as undesirable traits and how culture and religion influence views of mental illness. While psychiatric disorders were once seen as supernatural, evidence-based diagnosis and treatment now emphasize that patients are people who happen to have a psychiatric condition. Reducing stigma requires accepting differences respectfully and encouraging people to rely on their own experiences rather than stereotypes.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
This document discusses destigmatizing psychiatric patients by refuting myths and promoting scientific understanding of mental illness. It explores how stigma arises from perceiving differences as undesirable traits and how culture and religion influence views of mental illness. While psychiatric disorders were once seen as supernatural, evidence-based diagnosis and treatment now emphasize that patients are people who happen to have a psychiatric condition. Reducing stigma requires accepting differences respectfully and encouraging people to rely on their own experiences rather than stereotypes.
Copyright:
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Destigmatization
of psychiatric patients Objectives • Understand the notion (stigma) & appraise its consequences • Define the role of culture & religion in promoting/combating mental illness • Refute myths about psychiatric illness, patients, & treatments • Discuss scientific basis of diagnosis and treatment of mental illness What is Stigma? • Stigma represents a complex interaction between social science, politics, history, psychology, medicine and anthropology. • The key step in the generation of stigma is the perception of difference. For stigmatization to occur, such difference must be linked to undesirable traits. Psychiatry History • Psychotic disorders were thought to be supernatural in origin. • In 4th century BC, Hippocrates theorized their physiological basis • Religious leaders used exorcism to treat mental disorders which often used cruel, harsh, and other barbarous methods • First psychiatric hospital built in Baghdad in 705 • Psychiatric disorders classified in 20th century Why psychiatric patients? • Chronically ill or less treatable • One type of treatment for all problems • Behaviour unpredictable • Loss of social skills • Safety concerns. • ? Drug addiction (iatrogenic). • Probably all of the above, and more. Psychiatry and religion • Like all Arab communities, Kuwaitis too believe in spiritual (jinni) possession, envy by others’ evil eyes, and sorcery; which not uncommonly are invoked to explain changes in human behavior
• Obsessional ruminations attributed to devil
• Evidence based practice beneficial for your patients
• The patients’ religious believes should be respected
at all times. Cycle of stigma (Sartorius 2001) Psychiatry in Media What should we do? • Acceptance of difference, not normalization or denial of difference. • Encourage people to believe their own experience, rather than rely on stereotypes portrayed in the media and elsewhere. • Emphasize validity of diagnosis • Demonstrate efficacy of treatment What to say • Start from what people know, not from what you want them to think. Their beliefs, understanding and concerns are taken into account. • They are not schizophrenic patients, they are patients who have schizophrenia. (i.e. they have same needs and persona of the rest of us) Culture-Bound Syndromes • Behavioural disturbances presenting themselves preferentially in particular sociocultural context • Readily recognized as “illness” participants in that culture. • Usually associated with sanctioned explanations and spiritual healing rituals • Psychopathology includes dissociation, acute stress, depression, and paranoia Amok • The word was in use in India during the British Empire, originally to describe an elephant gone mad. • Dissociative episode characterized by Sudden outburst of violent, aggressive, or homicidal behavior. Precipitated by by a perceived insult. Usually affects men and associated with amnesia. • Reported first in Malaysia. Similar cases reported in Philippines and Laos. Koro • Episode of sudden and intense anxiety that the penis or vulva is retracting into that body and will possibly cause death. • Occurs in South and East Asia. • At times, occurs in localized epidemic form. Latah • Episode of hypersensitivity to sudden fright, often echopraxia and echolalia, dissociation and command obedience. • Occurs in many parts of the world. Useful questions • What do you think has caused your problem? • What do you think your sickness does to you? • Do you think you were able to avoid it? • What kind of treatment do you think you should receive?
