The Stigma of Mental Illness

Every time there is an election in the Philippines, at least one of the viable candidates running for an important position is accused of having or has had a mental illness by his or her opponent. The election that just passed was no exception. In fact, this recent event prompted the Ateneo de Manila’s Department of Psychology to issue an official statement denying the veracity of these reports. Subsequently, the Psychological Association of the Philippines, the largest organization of psychologists in the Philippines, also issued a statement strongly condemning the use of such foul tactics.

This misuse of the diagnosis of a mental illness, whether true or fabricated, to detract would-be supporters of certain candidates shows how politicians and their cronies take advantage of the grave misunderstanding of the public with regards the nature of mental illness. At the same time, such ill-advised strategies perpetuate the stigma associated with mental illnesses and people who may have them.

Much of the stigma surrounding mental illness stems from a lack of understanding of the facts. Stereotypes of people out of control and possessing unbridled violent tendencies often pervade in many people’s minds when they think of mental illness. The vernacular is rich with colorful words to describe such people, which include, but are certainly not limited to, the following: “sira ang ulo” (literally, “damaged head”); “abnoy” (abnormal); “may diperensya sa utak” (literally, “malfunctioning brain”); and so forth. The existence of these words in everyday language evidences this misunderstanding.

Some misconceptions about mental illness are as follows:

• Mental illness is very rare;
• Mental illness is permanent;
• Mental illness is incurable;
• Mentally ill people are potentially dangerous to the public, as they can be unreasonably violent; and
• Seeking the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist is bad and can cause one to be labeled as being mentally ill.

Current scientific understanding suggests the following:

• Mental illness is far more common than what many think. Some reasonable estimates even show that up to 20% of people can be diagnosed with a kind of mental illness at one point or another in their lives.
• Similar to diabetes, some lifelong mental illnesses do require long-term treatment. These people who have such disabilities often need to live with their situation and cope with it. Many of them are able to live relatively normal lives with little special assistance from others. Nevertheless, a bigger number of people actually suffer from transient mental illnesses, such as, clinical depression.
• Although there is no known treatment for a few mental illnesses listed in the diagnostic manuals, more than 90% of these illnesses are either curable or have some sort of treatment that manage the major symptoms. 
• Unknown to many, research has shown that people who suffer mental illnesses are more likely to hurt themselves or be hurt by others. The ones we often hear of and see in the news are exceptional cases, and that’s probably why they are in the news.
• If you suspect that you might be ill, isn’t it but natural to consult a doctor to see if you have an ailment so that you can get prompt and relevant treatment? This is precisely the case with mental illnesses. Seeking treatment does not make one mentally ill. It merely provides the help that one needs.