Stigma is the most common reason people do not pursue mental health care.
Stigma is when someone views you in a negative way because of perception of mental illness and/or substance use disorder. Negative attitudes and beliefs toward individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders are common.
There are a number of different types of stigma – here are a few:
Self Stigma
Self stigma exists when we tell ourselves that if we just tried harder, were more independent, stronger, and/ or trusted my faith more, we’d feel better. Self stigma includes the belief that we’ll be treated differently by others because of a mental illness or substance use disorder.
And while we’re blaming ourselves for our mental illness or a substance use disorder, here comes
Social Stigma
Social stigma tells us the same things! If we just tried harder, were more independent, stronger, and/ or trusted our faith more, we’d feel better. Social stigma also includes when those close to us think less of us and/or treat us differently if we experience mental illness or a substance use disorder.
Institutional Stigma
Institutional stigma is when a system is structured in a way – either intentionally or unintentionally – that those with mental health conditions or substance use disorders suffer or have fewer opportunities to succeed than those without a mental health condition or substance use disorder.
Professional Stigma
Professional stigma occurs in any healthcare setting where a patient is judged based on their mental health condition for unrelated causes. FOr example, when an individual with a diagnosed anxiety disorder reports headaches, a physician may quickly minimize the experience and chalk it up to “being anxious.”
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Stigma often leads to feelings of shame, isolation, and hopelessness and prevents people from getting care.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers some suggestions about what we can do as individuals to help reduce the stigma of mental illness:
- Talk openly about mental health, such as sharing on social media.
- Educate yourself and others – respond to misperceptions or negative comments by sharing facts and experiences.
- Be conscious of language – remind people that words matter.
- Encourage equality between physical and mental illness – draw comparisons to how they would treat someone with cancer or diabetes.
- Show up from a place of curiosity rather than judgment.
- Be honest about treatment – normalize mental health treatment, just like other health care treatments.
- Let the media know when they are using stigmatizing language presenting stories of mental illness in a stigmatizing way.