Psychiatry’s Moral Dilemma: The Pros and Cons of a Mental Health Diagnosis

The decision to provide a mental health diagnosis to someone experiencing psychological distress – a range of troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviours – often presents a moral dilemma. Of course, there may be an assumption among psychiatrists that diagnoses are, generally speaking, in a patient’s best interest, since they are intended to pinpoint what condition…

View Post

The Link Between Mass Media and Mental Health Stigma

Silence and invisibility do not mean that mental illnesses are non-existent. It’s these very characteristics of mental illnesses that blind our perceptions into thinking that they are mere fabrications. In most cases, this is the reason why you will not really know if someone is suffering from a mental illness. Your co-workers may be mentally…

View Post

The Stigmatisation of Mental Illness in Hollywood Films

Mental illness is often highly stigmatised in movies and television. People who have legitimate mental health conditions are unfairly portrayed in many Hollywood films. One particular example of the harsh depiction of someone with mental illness is M. Night Shyamalan’s movie Split. In the movie, James McAvoy plays a villain who has 24 distinct personalities,…

View Post

The Social Roots of Mental Illness

With all the new tech, we have evolved into a world with many modern conveniences that help us do everything from work to think. In many cases, this can be a positive thing but there are some things that end up having adverse effects on our mental health. For example, social media hype and smartphone…

View Post

Where Mental Health Campaigns Go Wrong

Mental health campaigns have been able to achieve a great deal in terms of reducing stigma and encouraging people to have honest conversations about their mental health. This has to be applauded. A culture of openness and non-judgement helps people living with mental health issues to feel less alienated, ashamed, and embarrassed about their suffering,…

View Post