Title: How the Stigma Around Mental Illness Medication Prevents People from Seeking Help | Shape
Headings: The Stigma Around Psychiatric Medication Is Forcing People to Suffer In Silence
The Stigma Around Psychiatric Medication Is Forcing People to Suffer In Silence
The Origin of the Stigma
An Early Look at Mental Health
Survival of the Fitt...ing In
Systemic Stigma
Threat of Discrimination
Racial Barriers
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Social Stigma
The Silent Treatment
Guilt By Association
American Culture
The "Label" Problem
Medication Doesn't Tell the Whole Story
Medical Concerns
Fear of Addiction and Medical Double Standards
Fear of Side Effects
Misinformation About "Natural" Approaches
What Does "Natural" Mean?
You Don't Have to Choose Between Natural and Pharmaceutical
Sometimes Both Is Better
How to Overcome the Stigma
Talk About It
Vocabulary Is Important
Educate Yourself and Others
Take Care of Yourself

Content: At the same time, if we actually treated these issues, our entire world (literally and figuratively) would improve, says Gilliland. Where did this stigma come from, and why are we still dealing with it in 2020, when diagnoses (and prescriptions) for mental health conditions have increased exponentially? Because stigma, shame, and misinformation at large serve as massive barriers between patients and fundamental healthcare, we need to address this head-on to figure out what we can do about it. The Origin of the Stigma
An Early Look at Mental Health
"The stigma [attached to psychiatric medication] likely originated before the 19th century, when there were limited biological treatment options for mental illness," says board-certified psychiatrist W. Nate Upshaw, M.D., medical director of NeuroSpa TMS in Florida. " With no great treatment options available, patients suffering from mental health problems were often stigmatized because they were likely to suffer chronic problems from their mental health issues and often had to be institutionalized." Dr. Upshaw shared that although with the advent of psychiatric medications, patients who would have been institutionalized were able to improve and often return to normal functioning lives, the stigma didn't dissolve, particularly in the U.S.
"We have to look at how the mentally ill have been treated by society (including the medical society) in the past," says Dr. Rivera. This, "in addition to the many times that criminal behaviors have been attributed to mental illness, hence creating a culture of fear around the mentally ill and ignoring the scientific data that indicates otherwise." Think about the 4,000-year history of telling women they have hysteria (for any range of symptoms) and prescribing marriage, sex, and even hysterectomies as treatment; giving general lobotomies to people with depression (a procedure that severs connections in your prefrontal cortex, i.e., cuts up your brain); sending patients with schizophrenia into insulin comas;