What is Stigma?

1. It discourages people from getting help they need. Many people don’t seek services because they are afraid of being labeled.
2. It keeps people from getting good jobs and advancing. Employers are reluctant to hire people with a mental illness and co-workers may reject them. An employer may believe that people with mental illness can’t handle stress, so they don’t get promoted or advance in the workplace. These factors in and of themselves are stress producing.
3. Stigma leads to fear, mistrust and violence. People with mental illness are no more violent than the rest of the public, yet the media sensationalizes mental illness. The public is afraid because they believe people with mental illness are violent. In reality, people with serious mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators.
4. Stigma results in prejudice and discrimination. People who are discriminated against have trouble finding housing, employment and social acceptance.
5. Stigma leads to insurance discrimination. Many policies have limited coverage for mental illness. Because of this, people are less likely to get the treatment they need.

The first step in erasing stigma is educating the public and in particular, professionals and others who work with people with mental illness. Consumers play an important role in erasing stigma because they can teach professionals about the impact of stigma. Consumers should:

1. Encourage professionals to learn all they can about rehabilitation and recovery models and incorporate these philosophies into their treatment.
2. Emphasize the value of the partnership model by encouraging professionals to think in terms of "I am working with Joe to help him learn to live with his mental illness," instead of "I a treating Joe."
3. Let professionals know that they should have high expectations of the consumers they work with by encouraging them to take risks and allowing them to fail.
4. Remind them that language is a very powerful force in either promoting or fighting stigma. The National Mental Health Association recommends that people who are interested in erasing stigma:

1. use "people first" language by referring to the person first, not their disability. Say "person with schizophrenia" rather than "schizophrenic."
2. Emphasize a person’s abilities, not their limitations and avoid any term that is condescending.
3. Don’t focus on the disability. Instead, focus on issues that affect the quality of life for everyone such as accessible transportation, housing, and affordable health care.
4. Avoid terms such as "chronic," which implies people can never recover. It is more accurate and less harmful to use words such as "severe," "serious," and "prolonged."
5. Don’t use generic labels such as "our mentally ill," "SPMI’s" or "the chronics." These are very derogatory terms.
6. Don’t use psychiatric diagnoses as metaphors for other situations, e.g. a "schizophrenic situation." This is not only stigmatizing, but inaccurate.

5. Other things to remind professionals about:

• Encourage them to understand what their own biases and pre-conceptions are. We are all human and come into the treatment experience with our own prejudices. When we understand what they are, we can work to overcome them.
• Let professionals know that it is important for them to avoid using medical terminology or complicated explanations. This creates an imbalance of power where the professional holds the "key."
• Be aware that the media can be a very powerful force in shaping attitudes and beliefs. While many changes have occurred, the media still promotes the belief that people with mental illness are marginal, violent or incompetent. When you see mental illness portrayed inaccurately by the media, you can respond. You can either contact the station manager or newspaper editor, or you can contact the National Mental Health Association’s anti-stigma hotline. Their phone number is:

The information and content provided on the CHN site are offered for informational purposes only and should not be treated as medical, psychiatric, psychological or behavioral health care advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or behavioral health condition.