Mental Health Stigma

say_who_now? · 10-09-2012 08:17PM

DB21 wrote: »

That's, quite frankly, the worst indictment I've seen of Irish society in a while. I've suffered from depression in spells since I was 16 (for reasons I'm not going to air over the internet). I'm fairly offended by this train of thought that mental illness = lack of intelligence as someone who is going into the third year of a Science degree. It just seems like such a backward idea, and this sort of stuff is why I bottled up my problems. Being told on numerous occasions to "get over it" or "you have nothing to be depressed about" had me questioning was there some chronic misunderstanding in society, and based on this, there seems to be. I mean, it's far from a majprity, but the fact that people still think this way worries me.

It's the way the article is worded. I would read it that while 20% of the people surveyed believed that people suffering mental health problems were of below average intelligence, however this means that 80% believe that a person's intelligence is NOT a factor in the diagnosis of mental illness. So that in itself is a POSITIVE aspect of this survey, and not one that should be dismissed, as it shows that the majority of people are becoming more understanding of mental illness, unlike as little as 50 years ago when those figures would have been reversed- 80% of people would have considered people of below average intelligence as being more susceptible to mental illness and perhaps suffering from some sort of mental illness!

Where do you think the term "the village idiot" came from.

Micky Dolenz · 10-09-2012 08:43PM

While slightly off the point but with the week thats in it. Depression and it's many causes and factors no doubt contribute largely to suicide and suicide attempts. I would be interested to know what the stats are on stress related mental health issues causing suicide.

We live in a society where financial and peer pressure is huge. A sense of shame and personal failure can have a massive bearing on someones mental health.

10-09-2012 09:24PM

When I first read this I wondered if the survey was carried out in the 1860s or something.

Smidge · 10-09-2012 09:26PM

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

While slightly off the point but with the week thats in it. Depression and it's many causes and factors no doubt contribute largely to suicide and suicide attempts. I would be interested to know what the stats are on stress related mental health issues causing suicide.

We live in a society where financial and peer pressure is huge. A sense of shame and personal failure can have a massive bearing on someones mental health.

As I was reading through this thread a thought came to me.

This "report/survey" seems somewhat off, especially in it's phrasing etc.
I think the timing of this report is somewhat suspicious as people are now becoming more and more alarmed at the increasing number of suicides(as was done on a thread here recently)and it is NOT just people with mental health issue ie depression, drugs, alcohol etc anymore.

The demographic has changed.
There are more and more people(mostly men) from 30's upwards who have fallen under through the collapse in the economy here.
Unemployment, debt, shame and worry are now causing more suicides than in people who have been diagnosed with mental health disorders.
I don't think the government want those particular statistics shown in any survey anytime soon.

That's just my opinion for what its worth.

say_who_now? · 10-09-2012 09:30PM

Deleted User wrote: »

When I first read this I wondered if the survey was carried out in the 1860s or something.

Really? Really?

From the FIRST LINE in the OP:

neemish wrote: »

A new survey was released by St. Patrick's hospital for World Suicide Prevention Day today.....

You're not one of the 20% are you? :rolleyes:

10-09-2012 09:32PM

say_who_now? wrote: »

Really? Really?

From the FIRST LINE in the OP:

You're not one of the 20% are you? :rolleyes:

It's just a comment on their attitude, not literally thinking it was the 1860s

10-09-2012 09:34PM

say_who_now? wrote: »

Really? Really?

From the FIRST LINE in the OP:

You're not one of the 20% are you? :rolleyes:

"Carried out" and "released" are not only spelled differently, they also mean two different things.

Micky Dolenz · 10-09-2012 09:39PM

mishkalucy wrote: »

As I was reading through this thread a thought came to me.

This "report/survey" seems somewhat off, especially in it's phrasing etc.
I think the timing of this report is somewhat suspicious as people are now becoming more and more alarmed at the increasing number of suicides(as was done on a thread here recently)and it is NOT just people with mental health issue ie depression, drugs, alcohol etc anymore.

The demographic has changed.
There are more and more people(mostly men) from 30's upwards who have fallen under through the collapse in the economy here.
Unemployment, debt, shame and worry are now causing more suicides than in people who have been diagnosed with mental health disorders.
I don't think the government want those particular statistics shown in any survey anytime soon.

That's just my opinion for what its worth.

I agree 100%. It's all around us and clear to see.

say_who_now? · 10-09-2012 09:47PM

Deleted User wrote: »

"Carried out" and "released" are not only spelled differently, they also mean two different things.

Ahh will you stop with the silly árse covering semantics, it was a ridiculous comment to make given how far we actually HAVE come since the 1860's in our attitude to mental health and treating those with mental health issues. Some posters are focussing FAR too much on the attitude of the 20% and not seeing what a huge leap forward in our attitude to mental health it is that 80% now understand that one's level of intelligence is nothing to do with their suffering from mental health issues.

I see it as a positive that people are finally beginning to do away with the concepts of "the tortured genius" and "the village idiot" and seeing that no matter what a persons socio-economic background, no matter what their material wealth or intellect, nobody is immune from suffering mental health issues, and it dispels the long held belief that people of a superior intellect are more susceptible to mental health issues than those whom it could be described were of a lower than average intelligence.

Mental Health Stigma

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