For decades, society viewed people with mental illness with long-held negative attitudes. These false opinions about the behavior or character of a person or group of people are known as “stigma.” It’s vital to break these mental health stigmas, which can keep people from getting the treatment they need for mental health conditions.
Like physical illnesses, mental illness can be diagnosed and treated, but symptoms are more challenging to recognize and aren’t as easily identified as physical changes in the body. Still, mental health disorders are quite common. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), every year, 1 in 5 American adults experience bouts of mental illness and 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience some form of severe mental illness.
Mental illnesses or conditions include a range of diagnoses, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Eating disorder
- And more
Stigma about mental health issues and people with mental illness may prevent people from seeking treatment that can dramatically improve their quality of life.
More About Stigma
Stigma can apply to race, religion, age or gender. Mental health stigma works the same way. Historically, people with mental illness were sent away to institutions where they were isolated from society. Today, some wrongly perceive those with mental illness as being untrustworthy or weak. As a result, others may not seek treatment because of the way they will be perceived by others.
While the mental health care model has evolved, some people still have a negative perception of those seeking care for mental health. According to the American Psychiatric Association, people are beginning to understand the medical cause of mental health conditions. Yet, the negative perceptions remain.
Stigma can be broken down into three groups or types:
- Self-stigma, when you believe stereotypes about yourself
- Systems stigma, which can reduce access to necessary resources
- Public stigma, when others hold harmful beliefs about those with mental illnesses
People with mental illness feel shame or judgment from themselves, others or even groups of people. The effects of stigma can be harmful to people living with mental health conditions. Most significantly, stigma may prevent people from seeking or staying with treatment. Stigma can lead to social isolation and lack of understanding from others, fewer opportunities, bullying or harassment, and even lack of coverage for treatment from health insurance.
To Fight Mental Health Stigma, First Educate Yourself
The first step toward ending the stigma against mental health is learning the facts about mental health issues.
Here are a few to consider:
- In 2020, more than 50 million American adults experienced mental illnesses—or 1 in 5 adults.
- The most commonly experienced mental health conditions were episodes of major depression and anxiety disorders.
- Nearly half of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2020 through therapy, medication or self-care. Support is available and increasingly accessible. A comprehensive assessment can help jumpstart the process of receiving the best care and treatment.
Many nonprofit and government agencies are committed to education efforts to end the stigma. While large public-education initiatives are significant, the change begins with you. It’s never your choice to have a mental illness, just as it’s not your choice to be diagnosed with any other medical condition.
Living with mental illness doesn’t just affect one person. It causes a ripple effect from that person to their family, the greater community and the world.
An estimated 1 in 8 visits to U.S. emergency departments is related to mental illness and substance use disorders. Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide. These statistics highlight the significance of mental illness and the role it plays in all communities.
Share Your Story, or Learn From Someone Else
If you would like to truly understand mental illness, focus on the person, not their condition—whether you’re working through your own illness or helping someone else. It can feel scary at first to share your story, but by sharing your struggle and triumph with loved ones, you can help end the mental health stigma.
When you talk openly about mental health, either in person or on the internet through support groups, it enables you and others to ease the burden of feeling isolated because of a health condition. Some say they feel empowered after sharing their story and realizing how many others are on similar journeys.
Sharing your story can also normalize treatment. For many, routine visits to a therapist or psychiatrist can make more of an impact on how you think about yourself than going to an internal medicine provider. Still, some people continue to feel that seeking therapy for mental illness has a negative connotation compared to other routine medical care. By talking about mental health treatment as candidly as you would discuss a heart condition or joint replacement, you can help others open up more easily.
Make a point to learn about the lives of people with mental illness. The internet and social media enable individuals to share their testimonies. By participating in these discussions, you can humanize people with mental illness—sometimes even people you don’t necessarily know. Similarly, if you overhear someone talking critically or reinforcing negative attitudes about mental illness, speak up.
Change the Language of Mental Health
The words you use to talk about mental health matter. Start by thinking about how you address mental health issues. Try to adopt language that is more accurate and descriptive. Put people first—someone who lives with schizophrenia instead of someone who is schizophrenic or mentally ill.
Words related to suicide, especially “committed suicide,” can add negative connotations and criminal intent. “Died by suicide” is a neutral way to talk about suicide in a clear way.
Even small things reinforce harmful stereotypes, such as describing someone’s anxiety attack as a “meltdown” or using words like “crazy” or “mental” to describe someone’s behavior.
By changing the language around mental illness, individuals can break the stigma of mental health.
Get Help When You Need It
If you are struggling, remember that you are not alone. Please reach out to a friend, family member or health care professional. If you need help immediately, go to the emergency room or call the Crisis Lifeline by dialing 9-8-8. If you need help, please reach out.
Listen to a Podcast
Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health
For decades, society at-large has held negative attitudes toward people with symptoms of mental illness. These false opinions about the behavior or character of a person or group of people are known as “stigmas.” It is vital to break these mental health stigmas, which can keep people from getting the treatment they need for mental health symptoms. Learn more in the podcast to the podcast below or on our website.
More to Read
- Break the Cycle of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Parenting and Mental Health: Building Your Toolkit
- Diagnosing and Treating ADHD in Adults
- Trauma Response: Understanding How Trauma Affects Everyone Differently
Medically reviewed by Jennifer Redding, LCSW-C, Executive Director of the Klein Family Center.
