Background: Research shows that stigmatizing attitudes towards persons with mental illness are sometimes harbored by the public and by health care personnel, and that this can sometimes lead to persons with mental illness being treated by others in stigmatizing ways. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of persons with mental illness of stigmatization. Method: A literature review of descriptive design. The result is based on 12 scientific articles with qualitative approaches. Main Result: Persons with mental illness often experience stigmatizing attitudes in relation to health care personnel. Persons with mental illnesses often experience that mental illnesses are not considered to be as serious as somatic illnesses. Persons with mental illness make use of various strategies in order to handle stigmatization. Conclusion: Because of the stigmatization they experience and the strategies they employ to handle stigmatization, persons with mental illness risk being alienated from society. The relations between persons’ with mental illness and health care organizations risk being damaged through the stigmatizing attitudes they experience in relations with health care organizations. The experiences of persons with mental illnesses of health care personnels’ attitudes towards them could be improved by nurses treating them in a professional and emphatic manner. / Bakgrund: Forskning visar att allmänheten och sjukvårdspersonal kan hysa stigmatiserande attityder gentemot personer med psykisk ohälsa och att detta kan leda till att personer med psykisk ohälsa bemöts på stigmatiserande vis. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att beskriva personer med psykisk ohälsas erfarenheter av stigmatisering. Metod: En litteraturstudie av deskriptiv design. Resultatet baseras på 12 vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ ansats. Artiklarna söktes i databasen Pubmed. Huvudresultat: Personer med psykisk ohälsa upplever ofta att de i möten med sjukvården bemöts på stigmatiserande vis. Personer med psykisk ohälsa upplever att psykisk ohälsa ej tas på lika stort allvar som somatisk ohälsa. Olika strategier används av personer med psykisk ohälsa för att hantera stigmatisering. Slutsats: Personer med psykisk ohälsa riskerar att hamna i ett utanförskap på grund av den stigmatisering de upplever och strategierna de använder för att hantera stigmatisering. Det stigmatiserande bemötande personerna kan uppleva i kontakterna med sjukvården riskerar att skada relationen mellan dem själva och sjukvården. Personers med psykisk ohälsas upplevelse av bemötande inom sjukvården skulle kunna förbättras genom att sjuksköterskan behandlar dem på ett professionellt och empatiskt sätt.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / Historically, mystical experiences have been interpreted variously within psychology and theology. This dissertation explores theological and psychological interpretations of these experiences among professionals in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), putting their interpretations in conversation with the theologies of John Calvin, North American Calvinist traditions, and a range of psychological theories. The purpose is to draw theoretical and practical constructs from this research to guide pastors and counselors in responding to persons who report intense religious experiences, such as hearing the voice of God and seeing a vision of Christ. Some psychologists interpret such experiences as pathological, some as psychologically beneficial. Calvinists, focusing on the intellectual dimension of religion, have traditionally been wary of mystical experience. A more thorough reading of Calvin's theology shows his affirmation of mystica unio . In 18th century colonial America, Jonathan Edwards also accepted mystical experiences, but subjected their authenticity and meaning to rational, religious scrutiny. To explore understandings of mystical religious experience in the current Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), twenty structured interviews were conducted with pastors and pastoral counselors in the Boston Presbytery. Results show that sources common to theologically trained professionals can be useful in distinguishing mystical religious experience from psychotic episodes. Using Scripture, Presbyterian beliefs, personal experience, and awareness of cultural religious differences, 70% of participants distinguished experiences such as hearing God's voice and seeing visions of Christ from mental illness, and 90% distinguished experiences such as sensing God's inner presence during prayer from mental illness. Using the same sources, participants identified some experiences with religious language and symbols as symptoms of mental illness rather than mystical religious experience. Presbyterian pastors and counselors concurred that many religious experiences can be interpreted within Reformed theology. The study revealed the need for more thorough education of pastors and counselors in the psychology of religious experience and theological interpretations of such experiences. / 2042-07-17

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

In this memoir, I use the elements and conventions of creative nonfiction to examine particular strands of my experience for significance. Initiated as an inquiry into my father's suicide, this book quickly shifted focus, re-centering around my own development as an individual, a woman, and a writer. Both my father's suicide and the subsequent birth of my daughter serve as focal points for this inquiry, which I use to articulate and explore questions related to identity development, male-female relationships and gender roles, female sexuality, mental illness, trauma, loss, grief, and the inheritance of intergenerational traumas. In places, my investigation also broadens to consider the social, economic, and cultural contexts in which my story, and my family's story, have taken place. My goal in writing this book was to reclaim something of value from a series of personal and familial tragedies and triumphs. I believe that the act of using tragedy as raw material for a new creation is in itself an act of hope. By bearing witness—both to the events that have occurred, and to my personal experience of these events—I see myself as contributing to a larger human project. Every contribution to this project, whether technological innovation or philosophical revelation, shares a common goal: that of counterbalancing the brevity of our physical lives with the richness of our shared human experience.

People with creative abilities have often been stereotyped as insane, neurotic, and prone to addiction (Kaufman, Bromley, & Cole, 2006; Corrigan, 2005). These labels have perpetuated the stigma for many generations (Ludwig, 1995). In addition, females have often been stereotyped as "bad at math," but are assumed to be more verbal and creative (Quinn & Spencer, 2001). The present study hypothesized that creative writers would be stereotyped as more mentally ill, neurotic, and addicted to substances compared to scientists. It was also predicted that gender would exacerbate the phenomenon such that females would be particularly vulnerable to this stereotype. Statistical analyses revealed some interesting gender by major interactions: female creative writers were perceived as the most mentally ill, but were closely followed by male science majors. Male creative writers were actually perceived to have a relatively low level of mental illness. Interestingly, male scientists were rated as having the highest levels of drug and alcohol abuse, whereas male creative writers were perceived to have relatively fewer symptoms of substance abuse. The reverse pattern was true for females. This research confirmed the stereotype of insanity among artists for females but also revealed a tendency towards pathology-based stereotyping of male scientists. Stereotypes negatively affect the targeted populations and perpetuate the stigmas against them. This research attempted to advance understanding as an initial step towards alleviating unwarranted stereotypes.

Since deinstitutionalization of state hospitals began almost 50 years ago, there has been an increase in the population with mental illness seen in the prison system. A combination of factors were looked at when studying causes behind incarceration, including active symptoms of mental illness, socioeconomic status, social support systems, history of trauma, history of drug abuse, police education on mental illness, and public perspective on mental illness. This study is a literature review focusing on people with mental illness in the prison system, with particular attention to women. It is costly to house inmates for any extended period of time. Specialized housing, needed for people requiring greater supervision, including those with mental illness, is particularly expansive. These funds were intended to go into community programs supporting those with mental illness after release from the institutions of the past. Without this support, many people with mental illness wind up homeless and turning to substance abuse, which leads to opportunities for incarceration. While further research is needed, there is evidence of promise shown in the combined efforts of increased case management and social support systems along with increased education of law enforcement officers on the symptoms and handling of cases of people with serious mental illness.

Society’s views about mental illness can influence their views regarding police-response strategies used with the mentally ill. The purpose of this study is to analyze the question: does mental illness impact perceptions of delinquent behavior and police responses? It is important to understand the effects of these interactions to better assist those affected by mental illness and avoid uncertain risks/injuries to the police and citizens involved in an incident. Labeling theory suggests that people may come to identify and act in ways that reflect how others label them as well as come to define mentally ill individuals in accordance with the label. My interest in understanding how police label mentally ill individuals as either deviant (out-of-the-norm) or criminal because of their condition motivated me to explore what other people thought about this. This study used survey analysis to collect data from 349 Facebook participants. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 scenarios (excerpt A and excerpt B). The only difference between these two scenarios is that excerpt B directly relates to mental illness while excerpt A does not mention mental illness. In relation to labeling theory, I predict mental illness will impact the perception people have about how police may respond to situations involving the mentally ill. Further studies should expand this research to examine this connection more thoroughly. The broader implications of this research is that it could create awareness as to ways in which to improve police training tactics that could in turn result in better support between mental health services and law enforcement.

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