A Study on Discrimination
Experience of Mental Disabilities

Yoon, Samho
Chief Director / Academy of the DisabledSummary of Study Interview Year and Month : 2017. 3. ~ 10.
 Interview Participant : 33 mentally disabled Subject of Analysis : 15 mentally disabled Interviewers and Interviewees are all mentallydisabled themselves.

연구 참여자 특성Study Participants

Gender

AgePrincipal Diagnosis

P1

F

36

schizophrenia

P2

M

58

major depression

P3

M

32

bipolar disorder

P4M

45

schizophrenia

P5F

29

schizophrenia

P6M

52

Schizophrenia

P7M42Schizophrenia

P8M

32

major depression

P9M

31s

schizophrenia

P10M

28

schizophrenia

P11M

48

schizophrenia

P12F50schizophrenia

P13F

48

schizophrenia

P14M

40

bipolar disorder

P15F

34

schizophrenia

1. involuntary commitment


When I was in my room, three people in black clothes were about to come inand grab me. I was barefoot. Then they tied me up and put me in an

ambulance, and kick me in the face with army boots.(P7)As my illness got worse, my family pushed me into the car. Even my Mom … It
was so painful then. I felt so betrayed that I was forced to come in, and I
thought “Why do they make me so painful?”(P1)If my condition suddenly gets worse, I'm always forced to go in the hospital.

Even if I only needed a sleeping pills. they tried to force me into mental
hospital. That makes me worse. I'm more afraid of being forced into a closed
ward than getting visual hallucinations.(P13)

My grandmother died, but they didn't let me go. So I threw a chair and I

was tied up for a riot. For the first time, I was tied up my limbs. I shouted
them I had to go to the toilet, so someone said “just shit in your clothes.
You filled the diapers.”(P14)From someday, I had to go through the discharge decision once every six

months, and from then on they gave me the papers and asked me to sign
them. I didn’t even hear what the papers were and justsigned them. Wh

en I signed, They would say, “You’re discharged.” Then the guards took me on a trip, and they put my things in the trunk. They took me back to thehospital after two days. In this way, Inine years.(P15)

was in a mental hospital for eight or2. Discrimination by FamilyMy family doesn’t talk about family matters to me, so I don’t who was dead… My relatives don’t know if I’m sick or not. My family would say “Because you are sick.“(P15)My parents would say, “A person with mental illness is not even human. Wh
at human rights? People like you do never have human rights.”(P10)My sister, four years younger than me, has never called me “brother”. she sa
ys “Hey “ or “hoy” . When I was very sick about 20 years old, she said, "I just want you to go out and die.”(P3)Someday my family forced me into a mental hospital. From then on,
ey became more right than I was. Unconditionally, I am strange

thwoman, they are normal ... I never do lie, but they always lie and then blame
me. It’s a typical “gas lighting”, making me suspect myself. “I’m wrong, I’mweird.” Then I think, “Am I really normal, am I weird?” It’s going to be likethat all the time. It’s making me shrink.(P13)3. Discrimination in Love and MarriageMy dad offered me the terms of my marriage. He said, “If you’re dating a man, you have to tell boy friend’s family that you have mental illness and use
medication. If you marry without telling, you get divorced

when you getsick again, and you won’t get alimony.” I was completely brainwashed at that. So I thought, “I’m not going to get sick. "Oh, I

have to date a man who has much worse conditions than I have. It is the way to meet dad’s terms.“ The people I envy most are those who marry and have babies even though th
ey have mental illness.(P12)I had been dating a non-disabled boyfriend for over two years. Atthe beginning, I told parents they said. “If you want to keep dating, let’s break
the ties between parents and daughter.” At any rate, we registered our marriage, but my parents refused to accept myhusband. Right after marriage, I went to my parents' house with my husband, so they called thepolice.(P15)My parents often say that I would not marry but date. "How big is it to g

et married and have a child?” Actually, my parents are notarriage, but they would say, “Why don’t you do it with adisabilities?”(P14)against m
woman without

4. discrimination in the CommunityWhen I was living in the group home, I went to the library in theCommunity Center every day. I read books there. Someday, a librarian called togroup home manager and told, “Don’t let him come to library.” Users are un

comfortable ... After that I couldn’t go there.(P2)I was a little embarrassed rather than just offended. When a subwaystaff says, “Show me a welfare card”, I feel guilty ... Every time when I use the subw
ay, I used to walk on eggshells. And when I meet a staff, I think “Why am I in

timidated, Am I have a bad disease?”(P1)5. Discrimination by Media

If media report the terrible incidents by a mentally ill, you can look at the news comments like this. “The psychotics have to be put in.”

“Theyhave to die.” there are all kinds of words from "Don't let them wander outside" to “They must die.”(P8)I saw a report that someone killed a man with knife. But the news

hat he would take a psychotic test and take legal action

said taccording to the result. Then why do psychotic test come from here? If something happens, they suspect psychotics. This is a falseperception.(P4).



In my eyes, that criminal is not schizophrenic but he is unconditionally labeled schizophrenia. This is abuse of the disabled. It's a crime that accuses someone unjustly. Doctors, police, journalists, all do it casually. No one says it’swrong. Only our peers are raising questions, so we continue to be stressedout in our daily lives(P13).

Every time I see a news related psychiatric patients, I feel a sense of self-inj
ury, loss, suicidal impulse, and sometimes I have a shocking

idea to leave t

his country. I feel more sick because it would seem that I can’t solve this discrimination, this prejudice, this stigma by myself.(P4)

Conclusions

repressive psychiatric system -- community mental

health system or independent living paradigm
regulation of isolation and compulsion that restrict thephysical freedom of patients : 'guideline’ -- 'law'care of the mentally disabled : 'family' -- 'nationaland local governments‘

change of perception of date and marriage of thementally disabledchange of media and civil society’s attitude

Thank You.