Stigma and discrimination: A socio-cultural etiology of mental illness.

Abstract

Stigma and discrimination against mental illness represent chronic social stressors that can inflame psychiatric symptoms and limit functional adjustment. The implication is that the prevalence and severity of mental illness is determined, at least to a certain extent, by aversive socio-cultural factors. In a hostile social environment, these factors may seriously limit the effectiveness of professional interventions; whereas, removing social barriers to functioning often results in a favorable clinical outcome. For example, studies show that inclusive settings with supportive employment decrease psychiatric symptoms and the use of mental health services. By extrapolation, these results point to the possibility that a society-wide reduction in the prevalence and severity of mental illness may come from benevolent changes in the social climate, not just from innovative treatments. Public health policies rarely take this possibility into consideration in resource allocation decisions.