The diploma thesis deals with the issue of the emergence and maintaining of stereotypes, prejudice, stigmatization and discrimination of people with mental health problems. The stigma of »mental illness« marks a person as incurably ill, potentially dangerous and incapable of making decisions about his/her life. The emotional crisis passes but the stigma remains. It accompanies the stigmatized through all the areas of social life and affects their way of life. The thesis presents the consequences of the social rejection and exclusion of people in emotional distress, and describes different strategies used by the stigmatized to manage their stigma. The final part of the thesis highlights the importance of the work carried out by governmental and non-governmental organizations in the field of mental health.
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