NationStates Jolt Archive


Is the stigma surrounding mental illness connected to religion?

Drunk commies
08-02-2005, 18:49
there is a stigma connected with mental illness. Many people see it as a character flaw, a weakness. It has been demonstrated that mental illness can be treated by altering the chemical balance of the brain, yet some people persist in saying a strong will is enough.

I think this has to do with the religious beleif in a soul. If a soul contains one's personality, and god created the soul, he wouldn't create a sick one. Therefore the soul is OK, the person just chooses to give in to weird ideas and behaviors.
Kazcaper
08-02-2005, 18:53
Interesting theory. Certainly, when religion was the primary governer across the globe, people who were mentally ill were treated like shit; seen as deviant, evil heretics who had no place in 'civilised' society. Thankfully, things are obviously considerably better than that now; however, there's still a stigma. My personal opinion is that that stigma is a result of upbringing - that could be a hangover from religion, but I don't think it *necessarily* is. Anyhow, we need to keep working to remove the stigma.
Dempublicents
08-02-2005, 18:53
I would say it is more connected to lack of understanding. Your average person off the street doesn't even know that there are chemicals involved in the workings of the brain, so how can they understand chemical imbalance? It's much easier to think "This doesn't happen to me, so it must be something they are doing." People used to think that something you did caused all sorts of maladies. For instance, a woman who had a menstrual disorder was considered to be unclean and evil in some way. Now that we understand what causes such disorders, we don't blame the woman, we just treat her.
Neo-Anarchists
08-02-2005, 18:55
I would say it is more connected to lack of understanding.
Yeah, I second that. I know rather a lot about unacceptance due to mental illness, and all of it that I've seen so far is at the root of it connected to not understanding it.
Lacadaemon
08-02-2005, 18:56
there is a stigma connected with mental illness. Many people see it as a character flaw, a weakness. It has been demonstrated that mental illness can be treated by altering the chemical balance of the brain, yet some people persist in saying a strong will is enough.

I think this has to do with the religious beleif in a soul. If a soul contains one's personality, and god created the soul, he wouldn't create a sick one. Therefore the soul is OK, the person just chooses to give in to weird ideas and behaviors.

Nah, there's a stigma about any permenant disability. (Even though most of us don't admit it).

Something to do with genetics I suppose.
Personal responsibilit
08-02-2005, 18:56
there is a stigma connected with mental illness. Many people see it as a character flaw, a weakness. It has been demonstrated that mental illness can be treated by altering the chemical balance of the brain, yet some people persist in saying a strong will is enough.

I think this has to do with the religious beleif in a soul. If a soul contains one's personality, and god created the soul, he wouldn't create a sick one. Therefore the soul is OK, the person just chooses to give in to weird ideas and behaviors.

As a person who has worked with the Severely Mentally Ill and Developementally Disabled adults, I'd say from my experience that religion is only a very small factor. The primary problem is fear of the unknown and I've seen that affect everyone from the devoutly religous to the devoutly atheistic.
Kazcaper
08-02-2005, 19:12
I know rather a lot about unacceptance due to mental illness, and all of it that I've seen so far is at the root of it connected to not understanding it.
Likewise. As I postulated above, I can see a potential connection between the stigma and religion, but more in times gone by rather than now. Even in the times to which I refer, those persecuting the mentally ill clearly didn't understand it - so I suppose it is at the core of the issue. I think Personal responsibilit also has a point re: fear of the unknown.

I don't know what educational measures regarding mental health are in place elsewhere, but certainly here they're not great. If more effort was made to educate people about mental illnesses, perhaps the stigma would not be so great. It really does annoy me that people just judge others without being informed on the issues, but we need measures to help them become informed! Ignorance in this case really is not bliss - certainly not for those to whom the stigma is directed, at any rate.