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RachelEmmanuel wrote: ↑13 Aug 2020, 07:37 Joseph WK wrote:
> Yes. Anxiety is related to stigmatization. There are a number of times I
> have heard someone dismiss anxiety as a condition for privileged people.
> Which means someone from difficult backdrounds won't get the necessary help

While anxiety may be universal, the condition of anxiety as prescribed by a doctor is definitely only for the privileged. Most people both fear the stigma of a mental condition and cannot afford the expense of a psychologist. As a result they will not share their condition with anyone until it becomes debilitating.

I believe more communities are left out from accessing medical help because of poverty. Unfortunately, it's also in those areas that stigmatization is prevalent.

Melissa Breen wrote: ↑13 Aug 2020, 09:16 I think both stigma and a lack of general information is the cause. A lot of people don't really know that there's a difference between being a nervous person and having an anxiety disorder. Most countries don't have proper mental health services either and poverty can be another reason people can't reach out. But there is definitely stigma, especially among men, when it comes to any mental illness, it is such a shame.

Wow, for sure most people can't tell the difference between the two. Having Gustavo's practical guide is a way to get informed on these matters. It's therefore good to recommend the book to others.

Ana Victoria2002 wrote: ↑14 Aug 2020, 07:34 Joseph WK wrote:
> Yes. Anxiety is related to stigmatization. There are a number of times I
> have heard someone dismiss anxiety as a condition for privileged people.
> Which means someone from difficult backdrounds won't get the necessary help
You make such an excellent point. Anxiety is sometimes considered as a problem that only people with time and without any chores have. Up until I was 16 I considered my anxiety to be something dumb and that I felt because I was bored or because I craved attention, it is a very stigmatised diagnosis.

If you take a deeper thought, it's evident that preassumptions about what can be categorized as stress or anxiety contribute to the level of the problem and how it's addressed.

rondanoh1 wrote: ↑14 Aug 2020, 10:56 Anxiety and depression are much less stigmatized than they were a decade or more ago. As a society we are much more open about our mental health than we were and there are better treatments now. When I was younger if you told someone you were depressed or anxious you were told to snap out of it.

Very true, people will most probably make conclusions judging from their previous experiences or intuition.

Worst of all, individuals who go through stigmatization begin to develop a practice self-stigmatization. It results in chronic levels of loneliness and depression.

As someone who has struggled with anxiety and has been bullied because of it, I believe, at least in my case, that there is a mixture of both. At first I thought the way I felt was normal. I simply believed I was too weak to handle what everyone else was feeling and that they were somehow inherently better than me. With cognitive behavioral therapy and some time, I realized while I was not alone, what I was feeling was not normal. For a short period of time that was a relief because I confirmed to myself that I was not weaker than everyone else, but that didn't last long as my anxiety worsened. That was met with rude comments behind my back (although I heard them) and sometimes my belongings in the trash, including a small stuffed dog I liked to hug to get through the panic and anxiety. All of this is to say, yes there is stigma and yes a lot of times you don't realize there is anything different about you at all.

My opinion is that people are probably not made aware enough. A child may be suffering from anxiety from quite a long time but they may not realise it's anxiety specifically due to the fact the teachers, parents or guardians around them just file away the obvious symptoms under being shy or stressed. The fact that seeking help for mental health issues is still considered taboo is really sad. A person's anxiety remains undiagnosed because of the inherent fear that if they are diagnosed, it would mean that "something is wrong with them" which is not true.

I think most of the people think that they are simply "stressed" and doesn't know exactly that they are suffering from anxiety.

People are not encouraged to talk. So, I feel like that they are stigmatised against seeking help.

Anxiety leads to stigmatization overtime. At first, the individual thinks it's normal to be anxious even when it's not. Gradually, they get stigmatized because most people don't like to be around anxious people. Even when people want to help, they can't since the anxious person do not see it as a problem that needs to be solved.

Yes, they are related. Seeking help has always been stigmatized especially by the older generation, so young ones such as me do not want to get help. However, stigmatization is not the only reason as to why people are not going to professionals to treat their anxiety disorder. Most of the reasons are financial. We know that getting help actually takes a lot of money, so many people who are suffering from anxiety cannot afford to treat themselves.

I think people are now used to being stressed that it's now part of them. So, the stigmatisation aspect is now part of them, they now have a mentality that it's a normal thing to be stressed abnormally.

There are people who might not consciously know that they are suffering from anxiety, so stigmatization is not always the cause why people suffer so long without seeking help

There are people who might no consciously know that they are suffering from anxiety so stigmatization is not always the reason why people suffer so long without seeking help

Yes, stigmatization of mental health disorders and issues has been going on for a long time and it varies depending on the location and culture. I work in the mental health field and live in the south so I am very familiar with the stigma. I believe that the stigmatization of anxiety is mainly due to people's inability or unwillingness to understand it. Unlike when someone has a physical disability or disorder, the symptoms of an anxiety disorder are not visible to others and it is often believed that an individual with anxiety is at fault and should be able to fully control it.

Anxiety often begins during childhood or adolescence. It can be understandable that a young person would rather suffer in silence than be different from their peers and friends. Anxiety is often taken lightly or viewed as an excuse for being weak. Due to the stigma, people do not know how to seek help or they avoid because they fear they will be rejected by others. There needs to be more education geared towards mental health so people can get the facts and people with a mental disorder can get the help they need sooner rather than later.