Provided by David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Surgeon General of the United States of America
Chapter 1
Stigma and Seeking Help for Mental Disorders
Nearly two-thirds of all people with diagnosable
mental disorders do not seek treatment (Regier et al., 1993; Kessler et al.,
1996). Stigma surrounding the receipt of mental health treatment is among the
many barriers that discourage people from seeking treatment (Sussman et al.,
1987; Cooper-Patrick et al., 1997). Concern about stigma appears to be
heightened in rural areas in relation to larger towns or cities (Hoyt et al.,
1997). Stigma also disproportionately affects certain age groups, as explained
in the chapters on children and older people.
The surveys cited above concerning evolving public attitudes about mental
illness also monitored how people would cope with, and seek treatment for,
mental illness if they became symptomatic. (The term “nervous breakdown” was
used in lieu of the term “mental illness” in the 1996 survey to allow for
comparisons with the surveys in the 1950s and 1970s.) The 1996 survey found that
people were likelier than in the past to approach mental illness by coping with,
rather than by avoiding, the problem. They also were more likely now to want
informal social supports (e.g., self-help groups). Those who now sought formal
support increasingly preferred counselors, psychologists, and social workers
(Swindle et al., 1997).
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