Men's experience of discrimination
By Jade Caulfield, Like Minds, Like Mine Project Worker, Mental Health Foundation
One of the biggest barriers to recovery from mental illness is stigma and discrimination, yet this is something that occurs often in our society. For men who experience mental illness, discrimination makes the already difficult journey of recovery more arduous, and often robs them of people and agencies who would be a support to them.
Stigma and discrimination
Often there is confusion about the difference between stigma and discrimination, and what these terms mean.
Stigma relates to a 'mark of shame' that a person can carry as a result of their experience of mental illness, and the negative view others hold of them because of this.
Discrimination is the more active part of stigma. It occurs where someone is treated differently because of their experience of mental illness.
Discrimination takes many forms and can exist in many different areas of someone's life. It is possible to identify discrimination that is unlawful - such as behaviour that breaches the Human Rights Act 1993 - however smaller episodes of discrimination may be harder to identify at first, but no less damaging to the person experiencing it.
We look at two areas in men's lives where discrimination has an impact.
Employment
One area in which men experience stigma and discrimination related to their experience of mental illness is in the field of employment.
For many men in our society holding a job is a source of pride and of self-worth. When people meet for the first time, the first question people ask is often, "What do you do?" For people who do not work, this kind of encounter can be humiliating and can lead to self-stigma.
Self-stigma happens when people internalise the negative messages they receive from others and start to doubt and judge themselves negatively because of their experience of mental distress. This is particularly poignant for men, especially those who feel they need to provide for their family by working.
In Fighting Shadows, the Mental Health Foundation's research into self-stigma, workplace discrimination such as an employers' lack of confidence in the abilities of a person with experience of mental illness, or ridicule and bullying by work colleagues reinforced internalised stigma. This led to unwillingness to disclose experiences of mental illness.
An earlier employment research project I haven't told them, they haven't asked, investigated discrimination people faced when looking for work. Accounts from participants who had disclosed their experiences of mental illness include:
- Being told that the position they were applying for would be too stressful for them
- Missing out on interviews after saying ‘yes' when asked if they had a condition that could affect their performance
- Having an employment agency refuse to place a person after finding out their reason for working part-time was on a psychiatrist's advice.
Another piece of research by the Mental Health Foundation, Respect Costs Nothing, looked into discrimination associated with mental illness and found that 34% of men reported that they had felt discriminated while looking for a job. The same amount reported that they had experienced discrimination while employed.
For some people, this was around people's attitudes changing, or even being fired from the job after disclosing that they had experienced mental illness. For others it meant name-calling and bullying, or being unable to take time off when they were mentally unwell.
While we like to think that such blatant unlawful discrimination has ended, Respect Costs Nothing highlights that this may not be true.
Legislative acts such as the Human Rights Act, outlaw such obvious acts as denying someone employment based on their experience of mental illness, however often the discrimination is more subtle.
Bullying or intentionally excluding someone, was often mentioned by participants in Respect Costs Nothing as workplace discrimination.
This type of behaviour is quite insidious as it often has a culminating effect rather than specific occurrences, which are easy to identify as discrimination. This means the people on the receiving end can start to doubt themselves and perhaps not seek help or report the situation.
Interestingly, there is still a view in society that mental ill health and employment are not compatible. Other views support 'suitable' employment, which tends to come from a view that experiencing mental illness makes a person less able to function properly.
This is a more subtle discrimination for men re-entering the workforce, as it suggests that there are jobs that are suitable and jobs that are not suitable, if a man has experienced mental illness.
However, it's more important that these men decide for themselves, which job is right for them, rather than some perceived realistic level of employment. The reality is that lots of people who experience mental illness will go on to lead very fulfilling careers.
Parenting
Men also experience stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness around their parenting skills. While being a father can be one of the most rewarding things a man does, it is also a time that is fraught with doubt and worry and adding stigma and discrimination into the mix makes the experience much harder.
Respect Costs Nothing found that 17% of men had experienced discrimination around their parenting. The actual number is expected to be higher in reality, as it also included participants who were not parents.
Men who experienced discrimination reported that this came from different sources. While some people spoke of government agencies, it is also clear that some discrimination came from within the family unit itself.
As one man shared in Respect Costs Nothing, "My ex-wife told my children to be careful around me as I might be dangerous. There is nothing I can do except show my children I am not violent which they knew already and show them I still love them."
Another said, "I was put down many times by my own children. It took many years to gain any respect, but now I just think to hell with them, and get on with my own life. Now that they are older and understand my illness better, we do get along as a family."
Often families display discriminatory behaviour as they lack the information to understand the impact of mental illness. While people can often mistakenly focus on the issue of potential violence in relation to mental illness, others discriminate by assuming people who experience mental illness are some how less capable and by assuming they may never get well or care for themselves or others.
One person who participated in Respect Costs Nothing said, "Family [and friends] tend to think that you are unable to lead a normal life because of your illness and also that they should take over instead of supporting me to lead a normal life."
The same information came through in Fighting Shadows. The research said that the understandings that families held in relation to mental illness and how they related to people with experience of mental illness were important factors in influencing people's understanding of their own condition.
These understandings, attitudes and behaviour created the foundation on which beliefs about the self, whether positive or negative, were based. However, any discrimination experienced was not necessarily intentional, with family members not always realising the effect that their attitudes and behaviour had - that of, not meeting family expectations, feeling bad about themselves and being excluded or feeling isolated from their family.
What can be done?
Anyone can help to decrease the stigma associated with mental illness and the first step is making the choice not to judge someone because of their illness.
In New Zealand, the Like Minds, Like Mine programme has been raising awareness of mental illness for more than ten years. One of its first messages was "Know me before you judge me", which encourages people to see those who experience mental illness as individuals first, and recognise that their illness is only a small part of their lives.
For more information on stigma and discrimination or on what you can do to help, check out the Like Minds website.
Aubrey Quinn from the Like Minds, Like Mine TV campaign
References
Peterson D, Barnes A, Duncan C. 2008. Fighting Shadows: Self-stigma and mental illness. Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
Peterson D, 2007. I haven't told them, they haven't asked: the employment experiences of people with experience of mental illness. Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
Peterson D, Pere L, Sheehan N, Surgenor G. 2004. Respect Costs Nothing: a survey of discrimination faced by people with experience of mental illness in Aotearoa New Zealand. Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
