Reference no: EM133137451
The Bias of Mental Health
Most people (possibly everyone) harbor attitudes and beliefs about groups of people based on messages received through personal experience within the home, community, and media. Although implicit bias may be construed as a subtle form of discrimination occurring within the realm of the subconscious, the implications with respect to treatment, services rendered, and by extension entrance to the criminal justice system as it pertains to (vulnerable) populations with mental illness may have unintended consequences if it influences the nurse professional's objective decision-making. Do you think you are not biased?
Consider the following questions:
1. Do you or have you heard people in general, or health professionals in particular, refer to mental health patients using derogatory terms or treat them differently? Provide examples.
2. Have you witnessed people in general, or health professionals in particular, minimize or disregard a mental health patient's treatment preferences over your own or their own?
3. How does implicit bias affect treatment and patient care?