Reducing Stigma

Stigma is when someone is discredited, reduced as a person and made to feel no more than a label as a result of particular circumstance, behaviour, personality or due to one of their traits.

For a long time now, mental illness has incurred a great stigma. People with diagnosed or undiagnosed disorders and symptoms have been seen and labelled as different or wrong in some way.

Have you ever heard someone with a mental illness described as dangerous, violent, crazy, unstable, weird, strange, odd, incompetent, just not right? These are examples of the stigmatisation of mental illness. People are made out to be weak for having a mental illness and mocked for their symptoms they may be viewed as different, treated differently and made to feel ashamed, guilty or worthless because of their mental illness.

Stigma and discrimination are a perpetuating cycle. Someone who experiences a mental illness and is then stigmatised is likely to experience an exacerbation in those mental ill health symptoms. Stigmatisation of mental illness has gone so far that individuals begin to feel ostracised at work or in social situations. They become afraid of what others may think and as a result fear seeking help.

And so, it becomes vital that we are working to destigmatise mental illness. There is a lot being done around the world to assist in reducing this stigma. There are campaigns and support services, there are specific charity organisations and months to raise money and awareness of mental health. Celebrities and influencers are encouraging individuals to speak up about their mental illness and to support those around them experiencing mentally ill health.

So what can you do to help in the fight to stop the stigmatisation of mental illness?

1. Develop your own understanding of mental illness and always use facts when speaking about mental health.
2. Seek help – do not fear being labelled or discriminated against. Psychologists and other mental health professionals want to help.
3. Don’t believe that you are your mental illness- someone with a broken leg is not their broken leg much as someone with depression does not say “I am depression”.
4. Be an advocate- speak up when you hear others discriminate and stigmatise mental illness.
5. Be mindful of the words that you use when speaking about mental illness. Avoid words such as crazy, or unstable.
6. Encourage equality between physical and mental illness- illness is illness.
7. Show compassion and empathy for those experiencing a mental illness.
8. View people with a mental illness as people first, for example, a person experiencing depression not a depressed person.
9. Share your story with friends and family.
10. Talk about mental health, don’t be afraid to have open conversations about mental illness.

The more we reduce the stigma, the more people will seek help when it is needed. Do your part and take action to reduce the stigma.