Media coverage feeds people’s conscious and unconscious fears and stereotypes
Dispelling myths, stigma around mental illness
Open Letter to The Hamilton Spectator Recently, there have been a number of articles in The Hamilton Spectator about violence against staff in mental health units at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. These actions ranged from verbal threats, to the throwing of a cellphone and a coffee cup, to other more hostile acts.
As members of the Family Advisory Council (FAC) in the Mental Health and Addiction Program for St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, we believe the abuse of hospital staff is completely unacceptable and we want to convey our concern for hospital staff affected by these incidents.
Nevertheless, the Family Advisory Council was distressed to read these articles as repeated reports of isolated incidents, without background and context, because they feed people’s conscious and unconscious fears and stereotypes, whether justified or not. The added stigma attached to mental illness just makes it harder for individuals to recover and live a fulfilling life. It also makes it harder for families that support people with mental illness.
By supporting loved ones living with various mental health conditions, we know too well how stigmatizing these illnesses can be. We also know that stories of violence and fear sell. Tales of recovery and hope sell too — but not as well, especially if they are more mundane tales of ordinary individuals coping with life.
Our purpose for writing this letter is to try to dispel some of the many myths and stereotypes about mental illness that still prevail in our society.
Research provides us with facts about violence and mental illness: people with serious mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators of violence; the majority of people who are violent do not suffer from mental illness; the vast majority of those with mental illness are not violent.
Violent acts are committed every day by individuals from all walks of life, including some entrusted with our safety and well-being. Yet we seem to be more afraid of people with mental health conditions than of all others who become violent — whether they are people with Alzheimer’s, soldiers with PTSD, high school students, religious leaders, or teachers — perhaps because we know them.
In 2008, a CMHA report conveyed that 25 per cent of Canadians responding to a survey, said they would be afraid to be around someone with a serious mental illness. Why? Perhaps because they think they don’t know someone with a mental illness.
In fact, each and every one of us probably does. Consider that one in five people in Canada will develop a mental illness in their lifetime. They are our family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues and perhaps you.
As human beings, we fear what we do not know. Not so long ago people did not like to use the word ‘cancer’ and people worried they could ‘catch’ cancer. Fear prevailed and cancer patients were stigmatized. Now we know much more about cancer and the fear and stigma are reduced. Today we fear mental illness, just as we did with cancer.
Society must overcome its fear of people who live with mental-health conditions. One way is to learn more about the mental illnesses themselves.
The highly sensationalized instances where a psychotic person commits a violent crime are extremely rare. Yet people with mental illness and their families experience stigma, discrimination and social exclusion.
But the public might be forgiven for not knowing these facts, as people don’t always know or see the other side of the story — the successes. No wonder we are sometimes surprised when famous individuals like Canadian athlete Clara Hughes come forward about their mental illness, despite the stigma. They are champions for social acceptance.
Our goal as members of the Family Advisory Council is to reduce stigma and increase social inclusion of people with mental illness and their families. But we also need our neighbours, friends and media to dispel myths and stereotypes and to support individuals who strive to have what most of us want — a healthy and productive life.
Please join us in helping our community be more supportive in this worthwhile journey.
Together, we can help neutralize the stigma of mental illness.
Respectfully submitted,
The Family Advisory Council, Mental Health and Addiction Program, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) The Family Advisory Council represents the voices of family members of individuals with a mental illness and/or addiction, who have used the services of SJHH.