For people living with mental health conditions or disorders, the impact that stigma has on seeking help can be debilitating. Statistics show that more than half of the people living with a mental illness don’t seek or receive help for their disorders. One of the main reasons for this is because of the stigma and being treated differently.
If you want to understand a day in the life of a mental health counselor and their patients, it’s crucial to understand the impact mental illness stigma has and the ways it can manifest. Researchers have identified that stigma can manifest in three ways: public stigma, self-stigma, and institutional stigma.
The harmful effects of stigma
Stigma can severely impact a person if they’re suffering from a mental health condition. Not only can it worsen symptoms, but it can even reduce the chance of someone getting treatment.
A recent review article found that stigma, especially self-stigma, led to a negative impact on recovery among people diagnosed with severe mental illness. This impact included lower self-esteem, reduced hope, decreased chance of staying with treatment, and increased symptoms.
This review article is backed by countless studies, including a study from 2017 involving more than 200 individuals over two years. Findings from the research concluded that greater self-stigma was associated with poor recovery from mental illnesses.
The study also found that harmful effects of stigma could include: reluctance to seek help or treatment, social isolation, bullying or harassment, and fewer opportunities for work, school, and even finding housing.
What is self-stigma?
Self-stigma is one of the biggest barriers to mental health recovery, but what exactly is it? If we’re trying to overcome self-stigma, it’s important to first understand it and how it impacts seeking help.
Self-stigma refers to any negative attitudes and beliefs a person might have towards their own mental health condition or illness. For instance, this could be internalized shame about their own condition and can be heavily influenced by other stigma—for example, public stigma.
What is public stigma?
Public stigma, sometimes referred to as social stigma, is the disapproval or discrimination that other people might have towards mental health. This can lead to a fear of associating with people with mental health conditions, mistreatment, as well as spreading misinformation.
What is institutional stigma?
Institutional stigma describes a more systemic type of stigma that works against people suffering from mental health conditions. This could be in the form of policies from the government or even rules in the workplace that limit the opportunities for people living with mental illness.
A great example of institutional stigma is the shortage of accessible mental health care. The cause of inaccessible mental health care is systemic, due to poor government funding in the sector and a lack of free health care coverage.
Each type of stigma, whether it be self-stigma or institutional, can impact someone’s ability to access mental health from a professional. While a mental health professional, for instance, a counselor or psychologist can assist you with overcoming stigma—for someone that struggles with stigma, it might be a challenge to even seek help in the first place.
Breaking down barriers & overcoming stigma
When it comes to breaking down barriers and reducing the impact of stigma—the best way is to address it. Whether it comes in the form of self-stigma, public stigma, or institutional stigma. Without acknowledging the existence of stigma, you can’t start addressing its impact.
Research shows that having a friend or being in contact with someone with a mental illness is effective in reducing stigma. Similarly, listening to stories about people living with a mental health condition, for example, a celebrity, can also help.
Statistics from a survey conducted in 2020 showed that young people, mental health, and social media use were closely linked. The survey reported that among people aged 14 to 22, 90% of the teens and young adults experiencing symptoms of depression would go online to research mental health and listen to or read about other people’s mental health stories.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has an informative blog post covering different ways to combat mental health stigma. Here are just a few:
- Educate yourself and others—take any opportunity to speak about your mental health, share your struggles, and destigmatize the idea that it’s ‘taboo’ to talk about. If someone says something that’s misinformation, take the time to correct them.
- Talk openly about mental health—have the confidence to talk about your own mental health and others. The more people talk about mental health, the more common it’ll be in everyday conversation.
- Be conscious of your language—when you’re talking about mental health or replying to others about the topic, be careful of the language that you use. Ensure that you’re always communicating respectfully and avoiding problematic terms.
- Show compassion—just showing compassion and that you care goes a long way. If you know someone struggling with a mental illness, let them know you’re there for them.
- Encourage equality between physical & mental illness—people tend to treat physical illnesses to a different standard than mental illnesses. It’s important to remember and remind other people that a mental health condition is equal to a condition like diabetes or heart disease.
If you’re struggling with overcoming mental health stigma, a counselor or psychologist can provide you with the tools and resources to overcome it. It’s also beneficial to have a strong support network, whether it be friends or family.
