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Stigma and Its Impact on Mental Health
Nova Southeastern University
Julia Jensen
February 7, 2022
Observation Report
, 2
Background
Discrimination is an act that has spread for centuries due to the immense amount of
stigma that runs through society. The hatred that is rooted in our systems today has made it
difficult for people to reach out or live their life without fear of being scrutinized. Today we have
social media and discussion boards where people who have a common experience can interact
with one another and speak on the impact of their experiences. My research addresses how
stigma affects the mental health community and its continuance to oppress those who are seen as
“different,” from the experiences discussed on reddit.com. Reddit is a network of communities
that can open conversations about shared interests or experiences and connect with one another.
There is a wide range of communities that exist on this platform which allows users to speak on
anything that they want some insight on or support. Reddit.com features a community amongst
those who have been discriminated against due to the stigma revolving around mental health.
With this, it allows users apart of the community to express their feelings without any form of
identification. Which helps eliminate exposure to discrimination in social settings such as work
or at home. I hypothesize that stigma deeply affects the mental health community and continues
to implement shame into those who deal with a mental illness. I could not find any information
on the forum’s demographic to describe my population, but 914 people were involved in the
discussion I observed. Participants in this community all have Reddit accounts under anonymous
profiles with usernames that do not expose their identity and many of these participants actively
interact with other users. I am a participant in this community, but since I do not post or interact
on this forum, my involvement does not affect my observational research. Therefore, I will be a
non-participant observer while conducting this observation.
Stigma and Its Impact on Mental Health
Nova Southeastern University
Julia Jensen
February 7, 2022
Observation Report
, 2
Background
Discrimination is an act that has spread for centuries due to the immense amount of
stigma that runs through society. The hatred that is rooted in our systems today has made it
difficult for people to reach out or live their life without fear of being scrutinized. Today we have
social media and discussion boards where people who have a common experience can interact
with one another and speak on the impact of their experiences. My research addresses how
stigma affects the mental health community and its continuance to oppress those who are seen as
“different,” from the experiences discussed on reddit.com. Reddit is a network of communities
that can open conversations about shared interests or experiences and connect with one another.
There is a wide range of communities that exist on this platform which allows users to speak on
anything that they want some insight on or support. Reddit.com features a community amongst
those who have been discriminated against due to the stigma revolving around mental health.
With this, it allows users apart of the community to express their feelings without any form of
identification. Which helps eliminate exposure to discrimination in social settings such as work
or at home. I hypothesize that stigma deeply affects the mental health community and continues
to implement shame into those who deal with a mental illness. I could not find any information
on the forum’s demographic to describe my population, but 914 people were involved in the
discussion I observed. Participants in this community all have Reddit accounts under anonymous
profiles with usernames that do not expose their identity and many of these participants actively
interact with other users. I am a participant in this community, but since I do not post or interact
on this forum, my involvement does not affect my observational research. Therefore, I will be a
non-participant observer while conducting this observation.
