L ABELS IN D EPRESSION

L ABELS ( IN DEPRESSION ) ‘to attach a label to something/someone’ Can be positive, or negative. Usually when surrounding depression labels can be derogatory due to the negative stigma. Being labelled as having a severe or visible mental disorder tends to ‘out’ sufferers with effects that may evoke more of a stigma. These issues can arise from labelling 1. Self fulfilling prophesy 2. Sick role 3. Prejudice and discrimination

I SSUES THAT ARISE FROM LABELLING Self fulfilling prophesy. The self fulfilling prophesy works after someone is labelled. Perhaps if someone is labelled as a severe sufferer, when they in fact aren’t, they may come to believe this and act as a severe sufferer. Making the situation worse for the individual. On a lesser scale they may be called anti social, causing them to retract even more. Sick Role. Whereby the person is labelled sick although it may not be physical and there are certain roles that arise.. For example being exempt from carrying out ordinary social roles. Prejudice and discrimination. The term stigma refers to problems of knowledge (ignorance), attitudes (prejudice) and behaviour (discrimination). This can cause individuals to discriminate to those suffering with depression through labelling and name calling. This can usually lead to those who are feeling depressed to hide it and battle it alone due to the fear of stigma and prejudice.

V ALIDITY /R ELIABILITY OF DIAGNOSING DEPRESSION. Validity Can be impacted due to the fact that due to the negative labels associated with depression, people may not even come forward to be diagnosed, altering statistics and diagnosis. Validity can also be an issue when there are different kinds of scales to measure depression. One scale may label an individual as depressed, another may not. Poor quality of life/life chances can alter the chances of depression, for example being of a certain gender, race, social group etc. – being labelled could promote negative stereotypes or stigma. The ICD and DSM do not account for such factors!

R ESEARCH. PERRY Found that if people were labelled by their mental illness, friends and family are more likely to support them and allow them to complete their responsibilities. However he found that if someone was labelled it could also mean that acquaintances and strangers may reject the individual. Demonstrates there can be positive and negative effects. WRIGHT ET AL Aimed to examine the associations between labelling and help seeking. Found that correct labelling was positively associated with seeking help. Shows labelling can have a positive outcome.

A DDITIONAL POINTS. If people are depressed they may not be able to go out and get the help they need. Being diagnosed could potentially make the individual feel worse about themselves. There are many different categories' that are hard to distinguish from each other. Many who are diagnosed are then referred to as ‘patients’ or ‘clients’ which could increase their feelings of isolation and vulnerability.