Description
This week you learned about the impact of social influence at the level of the individual, group and society (through social psychology). You also learned about the most common psychological disorders that impact children, college students and adults (such as ADHD, Anxiety Disorders and Depressive Disorders). The effects of stigma on mental illness (including social stigma and self-stigma) were also discussed through videos and presentations. The purpose of this active learning discussion is to further explore how we can reduce stigmas around psychological disorders and mental illness and the impact this may have on the lives of individuals with mental illness. You will also have the opportunity to explore if what we learned about social psychology (and the study of social influence) can be used to reduce stigmatizing attitudes. Reports have suggested, that 60% of people with a mental illness don’t seek out the help they need due to the stigma associated with being labelled mentally ill (according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 2012) .
In this discussion you will be asked to reflect on the following discussion questions: Based on the the information you have learned in this lesson 1) What do you think influences perceptions about mental illness? 2) How do you think stigma affects the lives of people with mental illness? 3) What factors have contributed to changing public attitudes about mental illness? 4) What strategies could be used to reduce stigma? 5) How could you encourage individuals at school, at home and in your community to apply these strategies? As usual, be sure to incorporate key concepts, ideas or facts that you learned about this week and use this information to support your comments.
Make sure your response addresses each of the questions above
