1. Personally, I believe there is so much stigma surrounding mental illness due to a lack of knowledge regarding mental illness in the first place. Throughout time, mental illness has been portrayed so poorly by the media, such as old TV shows or movies, that create a bad image for individuals suffering from it. A lot of mainstream media throughout time has portrayed individuals with mental illness as “psychos” or “being the bad/evil guy”. And if you think about it, if people are watching these shows and movies, a lot of the time they will go along with it and encourage the stigma, as that is what they are being shown constantly. However, many of these people who encourage the stigma regarding mental illness, are often the ones who are the least educated about it and lack crucial understanding of the reality of it. Early stigmas about mental illness often sprouted from that same lack of understanding, such as when it was believed individuals with any sort of mental disorder were “possessed” which we now know is far from the truth. I think that this lack of understanding and education can create fear in people, thus encouraging the stigma. These stereotypes and stigmas lead to further discrimination and disparities when it comes to mental illness and individuals getting treatment. I think that self-stigma is one of the most common things that people with mental illness deal with. If all they hear is how they are “psychos” or “bad people” or are being treated differently, it is so easy for them to just start believing it themselves and agree with those false stereotypes. If all you hear are negative things about you, it’s fairly likely you will start to believe those negative things. The stigma regarding mental illness is one of the biggest issues our society faces today.

2. Culture has a direct impact on an individual’s response to mental illness. Someone’s culture influences their way of thinking, communicating, their beliefs and values, and more specifically, a person’s conceptualization of wellness and illness. For example, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Polynesians tend to deny or disguise mental illness, whereas one culture may emphasize the importance of getting help and treatment when you need it and start on the road to recovery. If you take two individuals suffering with mental illness that come from two different cultures, it would be pretty likely that they conceptualize their wellness or illness differently from each other, because it is just what they have been surrounded with their whole lives. Some cultures may even perceive mental illness and getting treatment as being weak, whereas other cultures may encourage getting help and have totally opposite viewpoints. Cultures perceiving mental illness differently leads to a huge disparity in mental health services. On the other hand, one’s culture may really help someone when it comes to mental wellness and illness. An individual who is religious may find peace and comfort in a higher power and that may help them get treatment and recover. Culture can also influence a person’s ability to describe their symptoms, or even recognize them at all.