Quote:
Originally Posted by *Laurie*
I believe the mental illness stigma comes from a time way back in history when mental illness was viewed as either a character flaw that a person could will away, or just plain fear of anyone who showed symptoms of mental illness. The stigma seems to persist. I really can't understand why it doesn't go away - except that many people still don't truly understand mental illness.
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Yes, I agree that a primitive fear response drives a lot of negative response toward mental illness. Even with greater public awareness of certain mental health issues, the ignorant stereotypes still persist and I partly blame it on the entertainment industry and news media. Sensationalism sells, ( I'm definitely not making light of any shooting tragedies), and mental illness has long been a scary boogie man, so to speak. Playing up that angle to make a news story more "juicy" may draw in more viewers. It's very frustrating, to say the least.