To combat the negative stereotypes surrounding mental illness, it is crucial to preserve the accurate definitions of clinical terms like ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘psychosis’, while discouraging the use of derogatory slang like ‘nutters’ and ‘madness’. It is important to maintain the integrity of these clinical words in order to effectively communicate about mental health conditions. For instance, we should discourage the misuse of ‘schizophrenia’ to mean ‘split personality’ of ‘psychosis’ to mean ‘violent’. However, it is unrealistic to expect people to completely eliminate everyday phrases like ‘that’s crazy’ of ‘losing the plot’. Attempting to do so may even be counterproductive.

Abnormal Fear of Disease: Nosophobia

Nosophobia is a condition characterized by an excessive and irrational fear of contracting a disease. People with nosophobia may avoid situations of places that they perceive as risky, such as hospitals of crowded public spaces. They may also engage in compulsive behaviors, such as excessive hand washing of checking their body for signs of illness. Nosophobia can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life, causing them to feel anxious, isolated, and depressed. It is important for individuals with nosophobia to seek professional help to manage their symptoms and improve their overall well-being.

In 1973, the DSM classification no longer included homosexuality as a category. However, in the seventh printing of DSM II (1974), it was briefly replaced with ‘sexual orientation disorder’ before being completely removed from the DSM III (1987).

Susto is an anxiety disorder prevalent in South and Central America that is linked to the loss of soul. It typically occurs after experiencing a traumatic emotional of physical event.

Amok is a dissociative state that is more commonly observed in Malaysia. It is characterized by symptoms such as neurasthenia, depersonalization, rage, automatism, and violent acts.

Koro is a belief that the penis is shrinking and will retract into the abdomen, leading to death.

Latah is a condition similar to Tourette’s syndrome, where an exaggerated startle response results in abnormal behaviors.

Wendigo is a depressive disorder that involves the delusion of becoming cannibalistic. It is primarily observed in Native American communities.

According to various studies, anxiety is a highly treatable mental illness. However, there is a significant disparity in mental healthcare access between African-Americans and white people in the US, with African-Americans receiving treatment only half as often. A national survey in the US found that less than a third of people with mental illness received treatment, but this rate increased to 60% for those diagnosed with schizophrenia. In Germany, a public survey revealed that there is a misconception that psychiatric treatments are more effective for schizophrenia than depression.

Before the Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill was passed in 2012, MPs who were detained under the Mental Health Act for over six months would lose their seat. However, this changed with the passing of the Bill, which also addressed discrimination against mental health in regards to being a company director, school governor, and serving on a jury. It is important to note that prolonged incapacity due to physical illness has never been a hindrance to serving as an MP, and taking psychiatric medication does not disqualify someone from being an MP, although it does disqualify them from serving on a jury.

Depression can be presented differently across cultures. For example, Afro-Caribbean men may report erectile dysfunction and other physical symptoms when experiencing depression. South Asians may also experience mental health problems, but are more likely to report physical symptoms rather than psychological distress. In the United Kingdom, there is a higher prevalence of schizophrenia among black immigrants. In Siberia, there is a type of jumping disease called Myriachit, which may be similar to latah, a culture-bound syndrome seen in Southeast Asia characterized by hyper-suggestibility, echolalia, echopraxia, coprolalia, disorganization, and automatic obedience. Amok is another culture-bound syndrome that typically occurs in men and involves a period of withdrawal followed by sudden outbursts of homicidal aggression. Susto is a culture-bound syndrome seen in Latin America that is attributed to severe fright causing the soul to leave the body and is characterized by anxiety, sadness, altered sleep and eating habits, and physical symptoms such as headache, stomach-ache, muscle aches, and diarrhea.

The symptoms exhibited by the patient are consistent with Koro, a culture-specific disorder observed primarily in males (and occasionally in females) in China and Thailand. For more information, please refer to Edwards JW’s article Indigenous Koro, a genital retraction syndrome of insular Southeast Asia: a critical review published in Cult Med Psychiatry in 1984.

Koro is a syndrome that mainly affects individuals in Africa and Asia, causing them to believe that their genitals are retracting and will disappear, despite no actual physical changes. Dhat syndrome, prevalent in India, is characterized by symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, anxiety, and sexual dysfunction, with patients believing they are passing semen in their urine. Kuru is a neurological disorder, while Latah, found in Southeast Asia, is similar to Tourette’s syndrome. Piblokto, observed in Inuits, is a sudden dissociative state that results in loss of consciousness during the attack and amnesia afterwards.

– Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Jeff Buckley, Jimi Hendrix, and Marilyn Monroe are all celebrities who died prematurely.
– Kurt Cobain’s mother referred to them as that stupid club.
– Amy Winehouse died from alcohol consumption at age 27.
– Jeff Buckley drowned accidentally at age 30.
– Jimi Hendrix died from barbiturate-related asphyxia at age 27.
– Marilyn Monroe died from a barbiturate overdose at age 36.

Individuals who are discreditable possess a disability that is not immediately visible of apparent to others.

Culture-bound syndromes are not included in the ICD-10 classification system used in the UK, but they are important in cultural psychiatry. Mental health practitioners working in multicultural societies like the UK should be aware of specific culture-bound syndromes. Amok is a syndrome found in Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, and the Philippines, characterized by sudden outbursts of rage and violent behavior. Bouffée délirante is a syndrome found in West Africa and Haiti, featuring acute psychotic symptoms with complete remission. Koro is a syndrome found in males in China and Malaysia, featuring intense anxiety and the belief that one’s genitals are shrinking. Latah is a syndrome found in Malaysia and Indonesia, featuring startle responses, echolalia, and echopraxia. Shenjing shuairuo is a syndrome found in China, featuring chronic fatigue, dizziness, headaches, sleep difficulties, and nonspecific somatic complaints.

The Changing Minds Campaign had a five-year run from 1998 to 2003. Its primary objective was to raise awareness and understanding of six prevalent mental health issues, namely anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia, alcohol and drug addiction, and eating disorders. These conditions affect a significant portion of the population, with anxiety affecting over 10% of individuals, depression affecting 25%, schizophrenia affecting 1%, dementia affecting 20% of those over 80, alcohol and drug addiction affecting about one-third of people, and eating disorders affecting 1 in 50 individuals.

FGM is against the law in the UK, and arranging for a child to undergo the procedure abroad is also illegal. Those who are caught can face a prison sentence of up to 14 years and a hefty fine. Shockingly, it is estimated that 66,000 women in the UK have already undergone FGM, and over 20,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk. Often, children are taken to have the procedure during the summer holidays so that they have time to heal before returning to school. There are four main types of FGM, including clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation, and other harmful procedures such as pricking, piercing, cutting, scraping, and burning the genital area. FGM is carried out for cultural, religious, and social reasons and is most prevalent in Africa, although it also occurs in Asia and the Middle East. The experience can be extremely traumatic, and those who have undergone FGM may require counseling in the future. Recently, medical professionals have faced criminal prosecution for allegedly performing the procedure, which is illegal in the UK.

The prevalence of dementia among individuals aged 60 and above, adjusted to the western Europe population by global burden of disease region, is greatest in Latin America, with a rate of 8.5%. The prevalence rates for other regions are as follows: Central Europe – 5.8%, East Asia – 5%, Sub-Saharan Africa, east – 4%, and Sub-Saharan Africa, west – 2.1%.

1. Social inclusion is a key goal of mental health policy in the UK and Europe.
2. Achieving social inclusion requires significant social change.
3. Mental health services can promote social inclusion in certain circumstances.
4. Consulting with service users and carers is one strategy to promote social inclusion in psychiatry.

Norman Sartorius highlights the iatrogenic stigma of mental illness as the main obstacle to a better life for those suffering from mental disorders. NICE guidelines on schizophrenia also acknowledge the stigma associated with the condition, which is often seen as dangerous and best dealt with away from society. However, research has shown that the fear of violence arising from people with schizophrenia is misplaced. Other factors that may contribute to feelings of exclusion and isolation include compulsory treatment under mental health legislation, medication side effects, and less careful use of diagnostic labels.

Corrigan and Watson identified two types of stigma: public stigma and self-stigma. The individual in this example has developed low self-esteem due to agreeing with prejudicial beliefs about mental illness. Public stigma involves negative beliefs about a group, such as dangerousness of incompetence, while public prejudice involves a negative emotional reaction, such as fear. Self-stigma refers to negative self-beliefs, such as character weakness of incompetence, and self-discrimination is a behavioral response to prejudice, such as avoiding work. Hayward and Bright2 identified four recurring themes behind stigma against mental illness: dangerousness, attribution of responsibility, poor prognosis, and disruption of social interaction.

Courtesy stigma refers to the stigma that friends and family members of a person with a mental illness may experience due to their association with the affected individual. This can lead to secrecy about the diagnosis. Enacted stigma is the actual experience of discrimination, while felt stigma is the fear of discrimination that can prevent people from seeking help. Public stigma is the negative attitudes and reactions of the general population towards those with mental illness. Self-stigma is the internalized prejudice and reduced sense of self-worth that individuals with mental illness may experience. These terms were first introduced by Goffman in 1963.

The concept of ‘race’ is based on physical traits and is believed to have a biological foundation, while ‘ethnicity’ is the preferred term used by researchers studying different cultures to describe groups of people who share a common identity, ancestry, and history, as well as some shared beliefs. It is important to note that a particular race, such as Caucasian, can encompass multiple ethnicities.