Stigma and Discrimination of family care giver's (FCG) – A Barrier in mental illness: Scoping Review

Mental disorders are considered as invisible disorders as they are overlooked by patients, caregivers, health professionals, and policymakers yet cause significant health burdens. People with mental illness are subjected to high levels of stigma and discrimination because of widely held misconceptions about the causes and nature of mental illness. varies from 43% to 83%. Stigma and discrimination can occur in one or the other form. The co-occurrence of five components of stigma includes labelling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination”. Literature identifies different types of mental health-related stigma, including self-stigma, public stigma, professional stigma, and institutional stigma. Stigma in mental illness is a serious social problem that has a multitude of consequences on the individual concerned and his or her family. This paper throws light on the extent, problems associated, consequence and strategies to overcome stigma and burden among family caregivers so that the family members consider mental illness as disease which requires treatment.