Cederbaum, J., Wilcox, S., Sullivan, K., Lucas, C., & Schuyler, A. (2017). The Influence of Social Support on Dyadic Functioning and Mental Health Among Military Personnel During Post-deployment Reintegration. Public Health Reports (1974-), 132(1), 85-92.
This article is relevant to my study as it discusses the military personnel’s mental health after deployment. Army experience can be traumatic for the soldiers: constant stress, risking life, and performing violent actions may lead them into depression. The study shows that stigma about mental health is quite common among civilians when they see veterans. It may be due to the lack of education in this sphere or to their ignorance. The work also reveals that emotional support from non-military individuals and family members could significantly improve the deployed soldier’s state.
This source will contribute to my research regarding comparing the mental disorder stigma among civilians and military veterans. I will get the data about the army personnel and compare it to the similar issues described in other sources. This article also helps to understand the overall attitude toward mental health disorders in modern society and how to potentially assist those who suffer from them.
Hernandez, S. H., Morgan, B. J., & Parshall, M. B. (2016). Resilience, Stress, Stigma, and Barriers to Mental Healthcare in U.S. Air Force Nursing Personnel. Nursing Research, 65(6), 481–486. Web.
This source reports an anonymous study on stigma and barriers to mental healthcare among the U.S. Air Force nursing personnel. I will use it to contribute to my vision of the military side of the situation with mental illnesses. The U.S. Air Force is a competitive field to enter and have a successful career in. Most of the personnel do not want to show weakness in any form, physical or mental. As the study shows, that is the main reason why people with mental disorders prefer to hide them and not seek help, as it may prevent them from advancing in their careers.
The authors have also found a correlation between higher stress levels and resistance to seeking help for mental disorders. It may be possible that nurses and medical technicians under pressure felt more insecure than those with calmer jobs. This result might also suggest that some of the stigmas are supported by people with mental disorders themselves.
Holland, D. (2020). College student stress and mental health: Examination of stigmatic views on mental health counseling. Michigan Sociological Review, 30, 16–43. Web.
This source is relevant to my study because it focuses on the stigmatic views of college students concerning their willingness to receive mental health counseling. Students, in this case, represent both the civilian group and those who support the stigma itself. The article also touches on the coping methods and their effectiveness, which could help get the overall feeling of the mechanisms that can potentially fight stigmas in modern society. One of the key findings includes the students who supported negative stereotypes about mental disorders being less willing to use counselor services.
The article also mentions the necessity to look further into the issue as raising awareness may allow more research in this area. The topic is essential for university students as virtually all of them will encounter the stigma about mental health at some point. Some may become the victims of bullying and need to know how to prevent the problem and whom to ask for help. Others might accidentally or on purpose promote the stigmatic behavior.
Rössler W. (2016). The stigma of mental disorders: A millennia-long history of social exclusion and prejudices. EMBO Reports, 17(9), 1250–1253. Web.
This source provides a brief history of mental disorders’ stigma since ancient times and to the modern days. The overview covers different countries and political events, as well as the ways this phenomenon has been studied by psychologists. Mental illness is not something that has recently appeared in human society. It has been around for centuries, but the way people regarded it was not always the same. Depressed European ladies in Medieval times could be considered romantic, while the Industrial revolution required everyone to be upbeat, optimistic, and hardworking.
Besides, mental disorders can vary greatly, from borderline maniac syndromes to increased anxiety and extreme shyness. Depression is familiar to most people, so it finds more sympathy, while schizophrenia is somewhat mysterious and dangerous, making people nervous. Part of that fear is in the lack of knowledge about the problem. More general education in the sphere of mental disorders could help both those with illnesses and without understanding the problem and the potential solutions.
Wong, E., Collins, R., Cerully, J., Seelam, R., & Roth, E. (2016). Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges. In Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges (pp. 1-12). RAND Corporation. Web.
This source is relevant to my study because it provides an overview of the struggles that civilians with mental illnesses go through. The majority of the participants said that they encountered prejudice and discrimination because of the disorders they had. They struggled with being ashamed and misunderstood; the society of California does not currently have enough instruments for educating the population about mental illnesses and for protecting those suffering from stigma from the adverse reactions of the people around them.
Another issue raised in this source is the availability of counseling services for those who needed them. The study was focused on groups from different racial backgrounds; however, the results showed that none of them got professional help in the amount that was necessary. The minority representatives stressed that they were likely to hide their mental disorder from their classmates or coworkers more often than the white participants. This could connect the issues of stigma and racism in further studies.