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Exorcising memories of internalised stigma: The demons of lived experience

journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 18:17 authored by Joanna Fox
Public stigma and self-stigma impact negatively on the lives of people with mental health issues. Many people in society stereotype and discriminate against people with mental ill-health, and often this negative process of marginalisation is internalised by people with lived experiences. Thus, this negative internalisation leads to the development of self-stigma. In this article, I reflect on my own experiences of shame and self-stigma as a person with mental ill-health socially bullied by peers from my community and social groups. I present a personal narrative of both public and self-stigmatisation which I hope will enable me to exorcise memories of internalised stigma, which are encountered as my demons of lived experience. Using reflexivity, a process used widely in health and social care fields, I consider how social bullying shattered my fragile confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in the early days of my recovery; the impact of associative stigma on family members is also explored. Following this, the potential to empower people who experience shame and stigma is explored alongside effective anti-stigma processes which challenge discrimination. I connect the concept of recovery with the notion of empowerment, both of which emphasise the importance of agency and self-efficacy for people with mental ill-health. Finally, I consider how the concepts of empowerment and recovery can challenge both the public stigma held by peers in the community and the self-stigma of those with lived experiences.

History

Refereed

  • Yes

Volume

11

Issue number

3

Page range

63-72

Publication title

World Journal of Psychiatry

ISSN

2220-3206

Publisher

Baishideng Publishing Group

File version

  • Accepted version

Language

  • eng

Legacy posted date

2021-03-04

Legacy creation date

2021-03-04

Legacy Faculty/School/Department

Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine & Social Care

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