Stigma of mental illness : effects of prejudice, stereotypes and language use on the general attitudes of people towards problems of mental health

Abstract

This study attempted to investigate whether stigma against those suffering from serious mental illness and their family existed in Malta This study entailed two parts. The first part consisted of in-depth interviews with users of the mental health services and their family members. The second part consisted of self-completion mail questionnaires, which investigated the presence of discriminatory attitudes and practices, including language usage, among social workers, doctors, journalists, business persons and members from the general public. The extensive literature review suggested that notwithstanding current trends and efforts towards community psychiatric care provision, existent discriminatory attitudes affected negatively the quality of life of individuals with serious mental disorders. The success of such policies is thus diminished. This research aimed to demonstrate that through added reflexivity in language use, such as when social work and social research are provided from a social constructionist perspective, a more collaborative approach is facilitated through more balance of the power between the researcher and those researched. In fact, the first part of this research has been co-produced by the researcher's own intrinsic involvement in the research process with the individuals being researched. The effect this might have on the outcome results is acknowledged.