Last week, we looked at some of the major social stigmas surrounding mental illnesses and the stigmatic behavior that accompanies them. This week, we’ll dive deeper into two of the specific types of social stigmas: religious stigmas and cultural stigmas.
The cultural and religious ideologies and teachings we are exposed to at a young age, help form the foundation of our values, beliefs, and perceptions of the things around us. The way we are taught religion and culture influence and often shape our perceptions of mental health and mental illnesses. This includes our beliefs about the causes of mental illnesses, the nature of mental illnesses, as well as our behavior towards individuals who may be mentally ill.
Possession
The cultural and religious influence into mental health has led some communities to believe that the sole cause of mental illnesses are possessions by jinn and belief in evil spirits. Severe disorders such as epilepsy (though not a mental disorder but a neurological one) and schizophrenia have long been ‘diagnosed’ as possession by evil spirits.
Destiny
The religious belief that everything occurs in an individual’s life is a part of his or her destiny also lends itself to the occurrence of mental illnesses. The belief that illness is written in a person’s destiny can lead to the development of fatalism if a person depends solely on a miraculous cure.
Medicinal Treatment
Cultural and religious stigmas of mental illnesses can have a great impact on the decision to seek professional help, psychotherapeutic or medicinal, for a mental health problem. The decision to undergo treatment that involves medicine can be an especially daunting one due to the cultural stigmas associated with it. Seeking medical treatment for a mental illness can be seen as socially damaging for an individual and the need to seek medical treatment in the first place can be seen as a personal weakness on the individual’s part.
Distrust
Due to the plentiful stigmas and lack of awareness of mental health, there is a general, cultural distrust of mental healthcare professionals in society, which has led to a negative attitude towards healthcare professionals.
Often times, strong beliefs in spirituality or religion can become a very effective coping mechanism for individuals struggling with a mental illness. Many Christian communities now have mental health ministries, as the religious community is often the first place individuals turn to for support as they struggle with mental illnesses. Communal support and religious beliefs can translate despair into strength and hope. In Islam, for example, illness connects an individual with God. It is believed that God sends all illnesses and all cures.
What is important to remember here is that a mental illness is a legitimate illness and should be addressed using the available resources, such as therapy, medicine, etc. In other words, God also sends mental illnesses and that provides individuals with hope in a cure as well.
