What is Stigma?
Stigma is when someone sees you in a negative way because of
your mental illness. Discrimination is when someone treats you in a negative
way because of your mental illness.
Social stigma and discrimination can make mental health
problems worse and stop a person from getting the help they need.
Avoid stigmatizing people with mental illness by seeing the
person first and not labelling them by their mental illness.
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You can help challenge stigma by speaking up when you hear
people around you make negative or wrong comments about mental illness.
Stigma happens when a person defines someone by their
illness rather than who they are as an individual. For example, they might be
labelled ‘psychotic’ rather than ‘a person experiencing psychosis (schizophrenia)’.
For people with
mental health issues, the social stigma and discrimination they experience can
make their problems worse, making it harder to recover. It may cause the person
to avoid getting the help they need because of the fear of being stigmatized.
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The Harmful Effects of Stigma
Some of the effects of stigma include;
Feelings of shame,
hopelessness and isolation
Reluctance to ask for help or to get treatment
Lack of understanding by family, friends or others
Fewer opportunities for employment or social interaction
Bullying, physical violence or harassment
Self-doubt, the belief that you will never overcome your
illness or be able to achieve what you want in life.
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Dealing with stigma
Here are some ways you can deal with stigma:
Get the mental health treatment you need. Try not to let the
fear of being labelled with a mental illness stop you from getting help.
Do not believe it. Sometimes, if you hear or experience
something often enough, you start to believe it yourself. Try not to let other
people’s ignorance influence the way you feel about yourself. Mental illness is
not a sign of weakness and is rarely something you can deal with on your own.
Talking about your mental health issues with healthcare professionals will help
you on your road to recovery or management.
Do not hide away. Many people with mental illness want to
isolate themselves from the world. Reaching out to people you trust like family,
friends, coaches or religious leaders can mean you get the support you need.
Connect with others. Joining a mental health support group,
either online or in person can help you deal with feelings of isolation and
make you realize that you are not alone in your feelings and experiences.
You are not your illness. Do not define yourself by your
illness as other people might.
It’s not personal. Remember that other people’s judgements often come from a lack of understanding rather than anything else. These judgments are made before they get to know you, so do not believe that their views have anything to do with you personally.