Early intervention is key in treating depression effectively but stigma often stands in the way of timely care. Stigma creates significant obstacles to accessing mental health treatment and support. Many individuals avoid seeking therapy, medication or professional help due to the fear of being labelled as ‘crazy’, ‘attention seeking’ or ‘weak’. This fear of judgement may deter them from discussing their mental health concerns, even with family or friends. When the CDC surveyed almost 8,000 high school students in the first six months of 2021, researchers found that depression, anxiety, and other disorders permeated the lives of adolescents during the pandemic. All groups reported more persistent sadness since spring 2020, though the rate rose faster among white teens than others.

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It can lead to discrimination and negatively impact mental health and overall wellbeing. Research suggests that awareness and literacy, though important, are not always effective at reducing stigma. One experience that does seem to reduce stigma is interacting with people with mental health conditions. Proximity to and relationships with people with mental illness, and being open about those relationships with others, can shift attitudes. In the absence of live interactions, depictions in television and movies can be helpful substitutes. It’s not just classmates or colleagues who contribute to mental health stigma in a professional setting, either.

Social stigma, or public stigma, occurs when society or the general public shares negative thoughts or beliefs about a person or group of people. For example, a mental health social stigma may be an association between mental illness and danger or a belief that people with mental illness lose control and hurt others. Charlene, along with the advocacy organization she founded in 2018 called the Global Mental Health Peer Network, has taken ownership of recommendation 8 – developing funded programmes for people with lived experience. The Global Mental Health Peer Network aims to empower people living with mental health conditions to break down stigma in their communities and countries by providing them with a peer community and training opportunities. Research has shown that perceived and experienced social stigma may also play a role in suicidality among people with mental health conditions.

According to the literature, people who experience discrimination (even anticipated discrimination), social stigma, and self-stigma may be more likely to experience suicidal ideation. Mental health stigma refers to negative, judgmental, and/or discriminatory stereotypes and attitudes toward mental health challenges and people living with mental health conditions. According to the Mental Health Foundation, nearly 9 out of 10 people with a mental illness feel stigma and discrimination negatively impact their lives.

1. This delay in seeking treatment can lead to a worsening of symptoms, more severe episodes and longer recovery times.
2. It includes medical homes, family interactions, the health of parents, school and after-school experiences, and safe neighborhoods.
3. They may be viewed in a negative way, treated differently and made to feel ashamed or embarrassed about their mental illness.
4. These groups offer a platform for open dialogue and understanding, which helps normalise discussions about mental health.

The everyday struggles they now face have a significant impact on their mental health. As more individuals share their stories and experiences and as communities come together to support one another, this helps to encourage open conversations surrounding mental health. Dwayne Johnson, a well-known public figure in acting and wrestling, has spoken openly about his struggles with depression, particularly during his early career. Johnson described a period of deep emotional turmoil when his dreams of becoming a professional football player were shattered. Despite his public image as a strong, resilient figure, he has shared that his battle with depression was one of his Gary Jackson, Author at Sober-home greatest challenges.

Stories of Breaking the Stigma: Personal Accounts

It relates to social disapproval of the person or group based on the mental health feature. He welcomes WHO’s Quality Rights Initiative, which takes an approach to mental health  grounded on a human rights framework that empowers, dignifies and humanizes people with mental health conditions. When Dr Ahmed Hankir first experienced extreme psychological distress as a medical student in the United Kingdom in 2006, he delayed seeking help due to the shame and stigma of having a mental health condition. Another earlier study from 2018 took a slightly different approach in analyzing the social perception of mental and physical health conditions. In this study, researchers used automated software to track over a million tweets related to mental health and physical health over a 50-day period. And from around 2006 to 2018, there was a significant decrease in social stigma against depression — specifically, less desire to be socially distanced from people with depression.

Policies and education do work to reduce stigma, but they alone cannot change human hearts. For example, in addition to someone with depression being discriminated against, someone who is going through a hard time and is sad, but does not have depression, may also be discriminated against. Social stigma can also have larger problems that go beyond impacts on the individual. For example, people who have been stigmatized may become homeless or develop substance use disorders. Stigma can also cause people to doubt themselves and their abilities to achieve their goals in life. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five American adults, or around 52.9 million people, live with a mental illness.

How to Cope With Stigma When You Have a Mental Illness

The toolkit is undergoing expert consultation, being most recently presented to participants of the “Workshop on leadership and service transformation in mental health” in Brussels, Belgium on 22–23 May 2024. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), stigma happens when people are negatively viewed for having a specific characteristic — whether that’s mental, physical, or otherwise. A stigma is a negative and often unfair social attitude attached to a person or group, often placing shame on them for a perceived deficiency or difference to their existence.

Title I of the ADA blocks employers from discriminating against people with disabilities, including mental illness, and requires them to make reasonable accommodations. Last week, a man in Kentucky won a half-a-million-dollar judgment against the employer who fired him for having a panic attack at work, which will surely discourage other companies from doing the same. However, in the same paper, the researchers found that attitudes related to conditions like schizophrenia and substance-use disorders did not show signs of improvement—and had actually worsened.

This misconception minimises the genuine struggle people with depression face and discourages them from seeking help. Graham and Charlene worked with 42 other researchers and people with the lived experience of mental health conditions to produce, in 2022, the Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health. This umbrella review of 216 systematic reviews, interspersed with poems from people living with mental health conditions, summarizes the best available evidence on what it takes to reduce stigma and discrimination. Mental health stigma refers to the negative attitudes, beliefs and misconceptions that lead to discrimination against individuals struggling with mental health conditions, such as depression.

Mental health stigma

After achieving monumental success in his career, Phelps experienced post-Olympic depression and opened up about feeling lost and disconnected. He now advocates for mental health awareness, particularly through his involvement with mental health organisations like ‘Talkspace’. Phelps encourages athletes and others to seek help and to understand that mental health is as important as physical health. Prince Harry has been very open about his struggles with mental health, including depression and anxiety, particularly after the loss of his mother, Princess Diana. Through initiatives like the ‘Heads Together’ campaign, which he launched with Prince William and Princess Kate, Harry has worked to encourage open conversations about mental health. His vulnerability has inspired others to seek help and has brought greater awareness to mental health issues globally.