More than 700 people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in 27 different countries were interviewed as part of INDIGO (International Study of Discrimination and Stigma Outcomes), a research study carried out by the Institute of Psychiatry in collaboration with the World Psychiatric Association’s (WPA) Global Program Against Stigma and Discrimination because of Schizophrenia. Of those people who were interviewed 43 percent said they had experienced discrimination from family members, 29 percent in finding a job, 29 percent in keeping a job, and 64 percent said the anticipation of discrimination stopped them from applying for work, training, or education programs. And that is a big problem. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that makes it hard to tell the difference between what is real and not real. It also makes it hard to think clearly. They sometimes hear voices inside their head, and become paranoid. Just because someone has a mental illness doesn't mean they have to be discriminated. But some people treat them poorly because they don’t really know what it is like to have Schizophrenia.

This is the story of a man named Joe Holt who had Schizophrenia, that is written by Tara Parker-Pope: “Pure junk is what I thought at the time,” Mr. Holt said. Yes, he felt that people were always looking at him strangely, judging him — and, more frightening, saying terrible things to him, savage insults that they denied they said. “I was so broken,” he said, “I just thought ‘Well I’m a weirdo, I’ll never be normal.’ ” This was all said after a failed suicide attempt. That is just terrible. People treated him with such disrespect so often he believed he was worthless. And if that is not a problem what is? Joe didn’t do anything wrong, he was just born differently which should not make anyone think that he is a violent psychopath.

Only 0.1% of people who have schizophrenia are violent, and this is mainly do to alcohol and drug abuse. And still tens of thousands of people are being denied the chance to work because of severe discrimination. In England only eight per cent of people with schizophrenia are in paid employment, compared with 71 per cent of the general population, although many more would like a job, a report by the Work Foundation says. All the people with Schizophrenia in paid employment are over 5 times more likely to achieve remission than those who are unemployed or who are in unpaid employment according to the report: Working With Schizophrenia. Most people think this happens because a lack of understanding, stigma, fear and discrimination towards people with schizophrenia. Which is totally illogical because people with Schizophrenia have pretty much the same chance of being violent as the general population. So people are making assumptions based on what they hear from people who don’t know what they are talking about, or a one in 100,000 circumstance like Adolf Hitler.

So an individual solution would be to educate yourself before you make a stereotype about schizophrenia like, everyone who has Schizophrenia is a serial killer. And when you hear a wild stereotype like that you should confront that person, and tell them what their saying is totally incorrect. So maybe the can do the same if they ever hear a rumor like that again. So the solution for the problem of discrimination is pretty simple. Educate yourself about Schizophrenia, stop the spread of untrue rumors, and try to understand how someone with Schizophrenia feels before acting upon them.

Next time you come upon a stereotype of schizophrenia know that it is not true, and disprove to the person who told you it. Because someone should not be labeled on a mental condition they were born with. They should be accepted as a person, because they are just as much of one as you and me.

Works Cited
Batty, David. "People with Mental Illness Face Widespread Discrimination." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 Apr. 2004. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

"Discrimination and Stigma." Mental Health Care. N.p., 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 08 Feb. 2013.

Laitman, Robert S. "Living With Schizophrenia." New York Times 06 Dec. 2012: n. pag. Print.

Norris, Jeff. "Schizophrenia: Early Diagnosis, Treatment Key, But Stigma Remains." USCF, 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 Feb. 2013.

<http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/01/8434/schizophrenia-violence-stigma-treatment-medication-cognitive-behavioral-therapy>.

"What Is Schizophrenia." Http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia.shtml. National Institute of Mental Health, 08 Sept. 2009. Web. 07 Feb. 2013.