Author: Alex Thompson

Mental health stigma: Definition, examples, effects, and tips

People living with mental health conditions are more likely to experience low self-esteem and lower self-confidence if they’re stigmatized. However, there are steps that a person facing mental health stigma can take, such as finding an advocate who can support them with work issues and financial matters. They can also educate others by sharing their stories to promote a wider understanding of mental health conditions. The respondents stated they do not support the idea of keeping those with a mental health condition out of society. The survey also suggests that generally, people do not believe that those living with mental illness are excessively dangerous or prone to violence. Generalized and discriminatory stereotypes about people with mental illnesses often play a major role in stigma.

It’s not just classmates or colleagues who contribute to mental health stigma in a professional setting, either. A 2013 review of studies on the public stigma of mental illness showed that stigma is still widespread, even as the public has become more aware of the nature of different mental health conditions. While the public may accept the medical or genetic nature of psychiatric illness and the need for treatment, many people still have a negative view of those with mental health conditions.

Public education to increase knowledge around mental illness is paramount, since the majority of stigma comes from a lack of understanding and misplaced fear. For example, one survey concluded that the majority of people in the U.S. believe in supporting those living with mental illness, so they can live normal lives with others who could help them recover. Given how common it is for people to experience a decline in mental health, the level of stigma that exists in society is surprising and often contradictory.

What is meant by the stigma of mental illness?

Treatment of mental illness has come a long way since then, but the fields of psychology and psychiatry are relatively young and still have a long way to go. One of the things that bothers me is how much effort has been put toward eradicating stigma through education and awareness, like public service announcements and commercials. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Patrick Corrigan at the University of Illinois wrote a book called The Stigma Effect, in which he’s pretty clear that those things don’t work very well. Discrimination may be obvious and direct, such as someone making a negative remark about your mental illness or your treatment. Or it may be unintentional or subtle, such as someone avoiding you because the person assumes you could be unstable, violent or dangerous due to your mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental illness is among the most common health conditions in the United States.

With a growing number of people experiencing a decline in their mental health, society is becoming better equipped to respond to our needs. To put it simply, you may begin to consider your own traits or symptoms “shameful” and deserving of criticism, or believe you’ve earned negative judgment because of them. When capitalism took hold, we started to value individual autonomy and productivity for everybody. Before that, we didn’t hold a person responsible for all of their differences and all of their successes and failures. One of the things that characterized the first asylums in the 1700s, particularly in England and France, were that they were for people who violated the goals of productivity. The asylums didn’t separate people into these different categories; they were all just the idle.

1. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five American adults, or around 52.9 million people, live with a mental illness.
2. The asylums didn’t separate people into these different categories; they were all just the idle.
3. Today there is greater awareness, information, and literacy than in years prior.
4. Associative stigma targets people connected to someone with a specific trait.
5. Much of this imbalance stems from factors like institutionalized racism, prejudice, and other outside circumstances.

Two examples of treatments that target internalized stigma are narrative enhancement and cognitive therapy and coming out proud. Another study from 2021 looked into the use of mental health services by young Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in HIV care. A stigma is a negative and often unfair social attitude attached to a person or group, often placing shame on them for a perceived deficiency or difference to their existence. Terror management theory suggests people stigmatize signs of sickness or misfortune to soothe their own existential fears. According to social identity theory, people build their identities out of the groups they belong to.

Medical Professionals

And that should come as no surprise, because 1 in 5 adults in the United States lives with a mental health condition. Many people are also becoming more open to the idea of sharing their personal experiences. Individuals or groups can apply stigma to those who live a certain way, have certain cultural beliefs or make lifestyle choices, or to people living with health conditions, such as mental illnesses. Public stigma describes the overarching sentiment society has about people with a certain trait.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, nearly 9 out of 10 people with a mental illness feel stigma and discrimination negatively impact their lives. The pressure of mental health stigma can come from family, friends, coworkers, and society on a broader level. It can prevent people living with mental illness from getting help, fitting into society, and leading happy and comfortable lives. Media depictions of people with mental illness also play a part in perpetuating stigma. Mental health conditions are often depicted negatively, and media reports often attempt to link criminal activity and violence to mental health problems.

Mayo Clinic Press

They might ask if you provoked your ex-partner, or say you should have never started dating them. Social interactions are complicated, so your brain likes to take shortcuts when it can. Stigmatizing certain traits offers a quick way to categorize people as “good” or “bad” without learning their whole life story. According to a 2022 report from the American Hospital Association, 44% of nurses have experienced physical violence, while 68% have endured verbal abuse.

According to the results of the study, mental health conditions were more likely to be stigmatized and trivialized than physical health conditions. And the results varied by condition — with schizophrenia being the most stigmatized, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) being the most trivialized. Generally, the lack of understanding about mental health — as well as the harmful assumptions about people living with mental health conditions — is at the heart of a bias or stigma. This can result in avoidance, rejection, infantilization, and other discriminations against people who are neurodivergent or have a mental health condition.

Types of Stigma

Research suggests that awareness and literacy, though important, are not always effective at reducing stigma. One experience that does seem to reduce stigma is interacting with people with mental health conditions. Proximity to and relationships with people with mental illness, and being open about those relationships with others, can shift attitudes. In the absence of live interactions, depictions in television and movies can be helpful substitutes. Research has shown that perceived and experienced social stigma may also play a role in suicidality among people with mental health conditions.

Perceived stigma happens when you believe (rightly or wrongly) the people around you, or society as a whole, would judge you negatively for having a certain trait. You may consider yourself weak for having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially when the people in your life suggest you’re overreacting to the trauma you experienced. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five American adults, or around 52.9 million people, live with a mental illness. Unlock workplace well-being with comprehensive mental health support, empathy, and interventions for enhanced performance.

For example, someone who identifies as Gen Z or a Baby Boomer may draw specific traits, like work ethic, thriftiness, or independence, based on the generation they belong to. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has created more stigma than most previous outbreaks, with numerous reports of healthcare workers being shunned, denied public services, and even assaulted. Research suggests parents who don’t want their child to be “labeled” are less likely to help their child get treatment for their symptoms.