Many people experience stigma from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The condition can be debilitating since thesymptomscan lead to tremendous emotional distress, and individuals with PTSD often experience problems with relationships, work or school.
People with PTSD may also be more likely to develop other disorders, such asanxiety disorders,沮丧, orsubstance abuse problems.
Effective treatment for PTSD and other disorders are available, but these treatments are only helpful if they are sought out by someone with the disorder. Unfortunately, this does not always occur.
在一大群人中有各种诊断(例如,重大抑郁,焦虑症,物质使用障碍),实际上占据了少于30%。有接触者的人可能特别不愿意寻求帮助。
Barriers to Getting Treatment
In one study of 1,387 people with a psychiatric disorder, barriers to getting care included the severity of symptoms experienced, difficulties with daily routines, and abusing alcohol.
The study found the most common reasons people did not get help for PTSD.
- 28 percent did not think anyone could help them.
- 28%的思想认为他们的问题是他们应该能够应付的问题。
- 17%的人不认为有必要联系医生。
- 15 percent thought the problem would get better on its own.
- 13 percent were too embarrassed to discuss the problem with anyone
- 10%的人害怕寻求帮助的后果(例如,他们会住院)
这些发现表明,至少对某些人来说,与有精神疾病相关的耻辱可能会阻止他们寻求治疗。
Stigma
Stigma refers to associating negative qualities with having a mental illness. For example, a person with a mental illness may be wrongly viewed (and may even view themselves) as being weak or "damaged." This perception leads to feelings of shame or embarrassment.
Stigma may be particularly pronounced among military service members with a psychological disorder. For example, one study found that among United States service members returning from Bosnia, 61 percent strongly agreed with the idea that disclosing a mental illness would harm their career.
此外,43%的强烈认为承认有心理状况会导致别人不想在他们身边。
Service members were less likely to follow through on a referral for help with psychological problems compared to a referral for medical problems.
Another study of U.S. service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan found that beliefs associated with "being weak" and fears of being treated or viewed differently by other people in their unit posed a barrier to seeking treatment for mental health conditions.
What You Need to Remember
Having a psychiatric disorder or a history of mental illness is not a sign of weakness or a reason to feel ashamed. Mental health conditions are common and many of the factors that cause a psychological disorder are completely out of a person's control.
There is no evidence that disorders develop as a result of someone not being strong enough. There are many effective treatments available for mental illness and ways to learn how to cope with your symptoms.