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Stigma in mental illness: Perspective from eight Asian nations
Author(s) -
Kudva Kundadak Ganesh,
El Hayek Samer,
Gupta Anoop Krishna,
Kurokawa Shunya,
Bangshan Liu,
ArmasVillavicencio Maria Victoria C.,
Oishi Kengo,
Mishra Saumya,
Tiensuntisook Saratcha,
Sartorius Norman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
asia‐pacific psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.654
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1758-5872
pISSN - 1758-5864
DOI - 10.1111/appy.12380
Subject(s) - stigma (botany) , mental illness , ignorance , sociocultural evolution , prejudice (legal term) , mental health , psychology , psychiatry , criminology , political science , medicine , social psychology , law
Background Stigma against those who suffer from mental illness is a major issue in many nations. Stigma, which is comprised of prejudice, ignorance, and discrimination, serves as a barrier to seeking help and staying in contact with mental health services. It is thus imperative that concerted efforts are taken against stigma. Methods Eight young psychiatrists from eight Asian nations offer a narrative review of the state of stigma in their respective nations, the sociocultural reasons behind this stigma, recent anti‐stigma efforts and the effects, if any, of such efforts. Results Despite these eight nations lying varying significantly in terms of economic developmental levels, there are sociocultural commonalities that undergird stigma across these nations. It is also evident that there have been more recent concerted efforts to combat this stigma, and in some countries, there has been a change in the perceptions of mental illness. Conclusion The causes of stigma tend to be similar across various nations, and this perhaps suggests that international collaboration and a concerted global effort to combat this problem might thus be a possibility.