Sanism

This article is about a form of discrimination. For other uses of mentalism, see Mentalism (disambiguation).

Sanism, saneism, mentalism, or psychophobia refer to the discrimination against and oppression of people based on actual or perceived mental disorder or cognitive impairment. This discrimination and oppression are based on factors such as stereotypes about neurodiversity. Sanism impacts individuals who have learning disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, tics, or intellectual disability, are autistic, or experience other cognitive impairments.

Sanism may cause harm through a combination of social inequalities, insults, indignities, and overt discrimination. Examples include refusal of service and the denial of human rights.

Sanism does not only describe how individuals are treated by the general public. The concept also encapsulates how individuals are treated by mental health professionals, the legal system and other institutions.

The term "sanism" was coined by Morton Birnbaum, a physician, lawyer, and mental health advocate. Judi Chamberlin coined the term "mentalism" in a chapter of the book Women Look at Psychiatry.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.