Stigmas Surrounding
Mental Health
Stigma is when someone negatively sees you because of a disability that you have. Social stigma can make mental health worse and stop the person from getting the help they need. Stigma puts labels on people with disabilities.
Stigma has many effects surrounding Mental Health. The person experiencing the stigma will feel shame, reluctant to ask for help or get treatment, lack of understanding by family and friends, fewer opportunities for employment or social interaction, physical violence, and self-doubt. These are just some of the effects surrounding stigma, but there are many more. The person dealing with the stigma can commit self-harm. Stigma happens when a person defines someone by their illness rather than the individual.
Public stigma is the reaction that the general population has to people with mental illness. Mental health stigma refers to societal disapproval. Society places shame on people who live with a mental illness or seek help for emotional distress, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or PTSD.
Dealing with stigma can be challenging as it makes you lose yourself. Going out into society and constantly feeling like you're not a regular person because society defines you as a disability. This can get pretty intense. So how can we reduce stigma?
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