新聞報導中「精神疾病患者是不定時的炸彈或職場的“瑕疵品”」說詞直接或間接地反應出一般大眾對精神疾病患者存在已久的歧視(discrimination)與刻板印象(stereotypes)。雖然相關的社會政策條文已明白列出除能證明其無勝任能力者外,精神障礙者之人格及合法權益,應受尊重與保障。不可否認地,我們在日常生活中仍不時觀察得到台灣社會主觀地排斥與忽視精神疾患權益。因應近年來權利意識(human rights concept)的興起以及權利語言(rights language)的運用,相關民間團體繼而為精神疾病患者反污名(antistigma)、去污名化(destigmatization)、反歧視來發聲。本文旨在探討精神疾患污名化產生原因、弱勢族群污名烙印之影響層面以及使用人權模式(human rights model)來挑戰精神疾患污名。作者以文獻研究方法,檢視污名對精神疾患所面臨的接合論點,包括精神疾患污名的本質、解釋上的問題、語言表達上所扮演的角色以及實務層面上的議論。本文試圖以人權模型來做為精神疾病患者與去污名化的接合。在精神疾患去污名的過程強調於修正結構的稱呼(正名)、修改相關的歧視性法條、釐清大眾對精神疾患的特別態度、言論與行為以及全面性去思考污名境遇,我們才能發現很多促成污名的情況以及污名衝擊如何在精神疾患生活機會上扮演重要的角色。盼能在維護精神疾患人權與反歧視的思考邏輯立場,透過激力的角度來對精神疾患去污名化之相關對策有所助益。
The expose of mental illness issues on TV, newspaper or magazine reflects public perceptions toward persons with mental illness. Stigmatising attitudes such as mad, dangerous to others, unpredictable have been observed to describe persons with mental illness. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of mental illness stigma. The author will explore different conceptualizations of mental illness stigma, what causes rejection, consequences of stigma, ways to reduce the stigma toward mental illness and so on. This review may help readers to understand how the stigma of mental illness can influence the life of persons with mental illness (e.g. family discord, job discrimination and social rejection). Meanwhile, discrimination especially structural discrimination on the grounds of physical or mental disability can be noticed extensively. In this paper, human rights model helps to explain why we should diminish stigma towards mental illness. The principle of nondiscrimination as the universal nature of human rights will be the key element in this model. This paper concludes that anti-stigma campaigns can begin from the name-rectification, abolishing discriminatory legislation or extensive education programmes in schools and communities.