Stigma In Workplace

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Mental Disorders affect twenty-five percent of the U.S. adult population, according to the American Psychological Association (2018.) If the those numbers are so high and increasing, then why is there such an embarrassment surrounding mental disorders. The stigma stems from society still perceiving that an individual who has a mental disorder is a social deviant in society, which is incorrect. Mental health plays a large role in a person’s ability to perform in schools and the workplace. When tragedy strikes in one of those environments, mental health becomes a hot topic in the media. The awareness and support for those suffering with a mental disorder has increased greatly, but the stigma surrounding the disorder has yet to be fully erased. …show more content…
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides legal protection for those with a documented mental disorder. The EEOC explains that a workplace cannot fire or refuse to hire an employee on the basis that the employee suffers from a mental disorder (EEOC). The document also insures that there be certain accommodations made for an employee suffering from the disorder (EEOC.) The accommodations can range from extra breaks during someone's shift to additional unpaid leave if necessary. Even with these legal precautions put in place, there still is no guarantee that there still will not be a stigma associated with the employee. Companies who want to exceed expectations and have good business need to put an emphasis on the well being of their employees. The employees are the face of the company and need to be taken seriously when they ask off for mental health reasons. It is unacceptable that employees would rather call in sick with the excuse that they were physically ill, such as a stomach bug, rather than tell the truth about a mental disorder flare up. The social stigma in the workplace surrounding mental health needs to be erased in order for a happier and healthier environment to …show more content…
The latest news stories cover the increase in mass shootings that are ultimately linked to a mental disorder. The constant association of a mass shooter with having a mental health issue leads to the negative portrayal of those suffering, which is overall destructive. The news media feeds off of tragedy and insists on blaming mass shootings on either foreign terrorism or a mental disorder. The reality of many of the recent mass shootings is that they have all had differing motives, with some suffering from mental health, but the majority being domestic white terrorists. It is hard for society to accept realities about crime on their own soil against Americans, but it happens, and society cannot continue to blame it on mental health to ease their conscience. A similar inaccurate portrayal of mental disorders occurs in movies and TV shows. In the entertainment industry, those suffering from a mental disorder are often associated with that disorder and their character’s role does not depart much from the condition (Fawcett, 2015.) The characters usually look different from the others on screen and are many times stereotyped in order to better convey the illness on screen (Fawcett, 2015.) The large instances where mental disorders are displayed to the public, are almost always under negative circumstances. An example of what an accurate portrayal of mental health in TV looks like is the
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