Order Description
Background:
There is substantial theoretical and empirical evidence that the stigma, both perceived and real, associated with mental illness often acts as a barrier and prevents people from seeking out, or engaging with psychological treatments (Corrigan, 2005). There are two main types of stigma that are of particular interest in this area of research. Personal (self) stigma, which relates to the perceived stigma one can experience following a diagnosis of mental illness. There is evidence that personal stigma can act as a barrier to seeking out professional treatment. In addition, personal stigma can often lead to reduced self-esteem and
self-efficacy (Livingston & Boyd, 2010) which has been found to reduce levels of
engagement with treatment strategies and reduce the rates of efficacy (Corrigan, 2005). The second major type of stigma is Societal stigma, which refers to the stigma that occurs due to stereotypes about mental illness held by the community. Similarly, Social stigma has been suggested as one potential cause for reduced rates of seeking out and engaging with treatment (Abdullah & Brown, 2011). There are a number of strategies in place across the globe
designed to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Many of these strategies have successfully reduced levels of stigma on a personal and societal level. These strategies tend to focus on either education or increasing levels of contact between those with mental illness
and the wider community (Corrigan, 2012).
How to approach this question:
You should organise your essay so that you explain the role of stigma in mental illness before discussing a strategy to reduce stigma. You should write your essay as one piece of writing, do NOT write two completely separate mini essays to
answer the question. You may divide your essay into two parts if you want, but they should clearly be connected.
You may choose to focus your argument on:
Personal stigma: Your essay will focus entirely on the role of personal stigma as a barrier to treatment.
Social stigma: Your essay will focus entirely on the role of societal stigma as a barrier to
treatment.
Personal and Social stigma: Your essay will address the interaction between personal and social stigma and how this acts a barrier to treatment
You should then choose ONE strategy and explain how this strategy aims to reduce stigma. Finally, you should explain how this strategy may improve levels of successful treatment.
Do NOT discuss several strategies as you will not be able to explain them with clarity and detail. It is better to choose ONE and explain how it reduces stigma and improves treatment.
TIP: Your chosen strategy should be aimed at reducing the stigma that you have chosen to focus on in the first part of your essay.
Formatting:
You must structure your response in essay format using formal academic language (no bullet point, use complete sentences and paragraphs). Format your work according to APA standards this includes using 12-point font and double spacing. All referencing should be cited using APA 6th edition guidelines.
Background References:
There are several research articles available as PDFs on the moodle page (I will be uploading the files). These references may form the basis of your research for this essay. You are expected to read and cite at least 5 references in order to adequately answer this question. You may use as many references as you like, more evidence is never bad.
