Society's Role in Stigma and Mental Illness

Stigma and Mental Illness


Stigma is the shame that is attributed to people with a particular circumstance or quality (like mental illness) and is looked down on by society.


Stigma is created by:

  • Stereotypes – learned thoughts about mental illness.
  • Prejudice – the process of believing and promoting the stereotype.
  • Discrimination – actions that result from stereotypes and prejudice.

Take a moment to learn more about stereotypes and prejudice, and how they lead to discrimination.


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Stigma can cause loneliness, isolation, and feeling left out

Take your best guess….


Lately Julia has felt very tired and hasn't had the energy to go to class. She even had to drop a course. Julia knows that something is wrong and wants to talk to her best friends about it, but she thinks that they might judge her or treat her differently if they knew.

Is Julia’s fear common?

Stigma can stop people from getting the help and support they need from family and friends

There are two main forms of stigma:

Click on the orange text for more information.



Public Stigma

Public Stigma includes three components that cultivate what is known as stigma: stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.


Self Stigma

Self-Stigma occurs when young adults are aware of the public stigma and start to internalize and believe these thoughts about themselves.

Expand each item to learn more about these stigmas.


Public Stigma can impact the way the general public views and reacts to people with mental illness. This stigma can lead to discrimination against young adults with mental illness by making it difficult for them to obtain employment, housing, and educational services.

Because public stigma can lead to self stigma, making young adults feel less valued because of their mental illness, they can begin to lose confidence in themselves. This can result in them deciding to not seek new experiences, like a new job or educational opportunity, because they perceive themselves as undeserving because of their mental illness.

Check your knowledge.


Read each description and select the form of stigma each person is experiencing. Use the Check Your Answer button after making each selection.

Olivia

Olivia overhears some women talking about her son who was just diagnosed with schizophrenia. She hears one say, “Keep your kids away from him. He’s dangerous.”


Jake

He used to be confident and happy, but now Jake wonders if he is a risk to others because he’s been diagnosed with a mental illness and others claim he is “psycho.”


Sam

Sam’s best friend is struggling with depression. With all of the news about depression and gun violence, Sam is fearful that his friend may become dangerous so he begins isolating from him.

Media and Stigma


The media can influence public stigma by reinforcing negative stereotypes and promoting fear and unnecessary responses; it can also give us a biased and skewed view of people with mental illness. The images we see of people with mental illness directly impact how we perceive them. The statements below are common myths about mental illness that reflect how individuals are portrayed in the media.

Click each icon to compare Myths and Facts.

Myth: People with a mental illness are often violent and likely to harm others.

Fact: Although the media often portrays people with a mental illness as violent, the truth is that people with a mental illness are less likely to be violent towards others and are more likely to harm themselves or be the victim of violence.

Myth: Mental illness only affects a few people

Fact: Mental illness is common. 1 in 5 New Yorkers are likely to experience a mental illness in any given year and 75% of all mental illnesses often begin by age 24.

Myth: People with a mental illness are weak and need to “pull themselves out of it.”

Fact: Mental illness is not caused by a personal weakness and cannot be cured or prevented by personal strength.

Public stigma and self-stigma affect a person’s life goals and get in the way of them reaching out for help and support. This might make it harder to reach their potential (doing well in school/work, having healthy relationships, etc.) and get the support they need to cope with and overcome the feelings they are experiencing.


It can also affect a person’s self-esteem and ability to be hopeful about the future. This can worsen feelings of stress, problems in school, and any other situation the individual is facing.

The Impact of Stigma


Take your best guess….

True or False?
Young adults often don’t seek help because they are afraid of stigma and discrimination.

Make your selection and then check your answer with the button.

Stigma is not your fault – it’s a consequence of our society. We all must take an active role in erasing stigma. It’s a community effort.

Learn about How to Reduce Stigma.