Overcoming the Mental Health Stigma Together

Overcoming the Mental Health Stigma Together

 

What is Mental Health Stigma? 

1. Public Stigma

A general community shares certain attitudes and responses to a stigmatized individual, or the stigmatized individual perceives them to share these attitudes [1]. For example, a group of people at school social distancing from someone with schizophrenia because they believe this person is dangerous, or the person with schizophrenia believes they 'won't talk to me because I'm dangerous' whether it is true or not.
 

2. Personal Stigma

An individual's own attitudes and beliefs about a stigmatized individual or group [1]. For example, the belief that individuals with anxiety do not make suitable employees.

 

3. Self-Stigma

An individual internalizes stigmatization attitudes and stereotypes and labels themselves [1]. For example, a person with anxiety believing 'I'm to be blamed for my anxiety problem'. 

    What are the Consequences of a Mental Health Stigma?

    1. Weak-not-sick: Mental illness is incorrectly seen as a personality weakness rather than a sickness [1]. Mental illness is viewed as a condition that one can snap out of at any moment rather than understanding the full disorder or disease [1]. 

       

      2. Us vs. Them: Public and personal stigma often lead to an us versus them combative mentality based upon visible or concealed features of a stigmatized individual [1]. 

         

        3. Social Distance: Willingness of others to interact with an individual who has mental illness declines because others perceive the individual as dangerous [1]. Others tend to isolate the stigmatized individual by reducing interactions with them [1].

           

          4. Internalization of Stigmatization: The stigmatized individual with mental illness may begin to internalize others' beliefs about them. This results in low levels of hope in achieving desired goals and low self-directive behaviors, both of which can further exacerbate mental illness and reduce adherence to treatment [1].

             

            Are Anxiety Disorders Stigmatized?

            Yes, in fact, anxiety disorders are often stigmatized due to the belief that anxiety is not a medical condition, rather it is viewed as more of a personal weakness [1]. This weak-not-sick stigmatization is more common for anxiety than other mental health disorders [1]. More specifically, social anxiety is often misclassified as a personality trait such as shyness or introversion, rather than a pathological fear response from social performance-based situations [1].
            Demographics of those who stigmatize anxiety disorders are typically younger, reside in rural geographical locations, more often male but also female, and culturally Asian [1]. Individuals who are less likely to stigmatize anxiety are typically older, suburban geographical location, female, and have prior experience with anxiety or some other mental health illness [1].

             

            Individuals With Anxiety Are Not Getting Help

            Individuals with anxiety are not receiving the help they need [1]. This could be due to the internalization of stigmatization, resulting in a personal belief that they are weak rather than having a true medical condition [1]. Stigmatization is one of the number one reasons individuals with anxiety do not seek treatment [1]. Self-stigmatization leads to poor treatment adherence and high rates of treatment discontinuation [1]. Additionally, those with anxiety may not seek help due to fear, a featuring symptom of anxiety disorders. Another possibility is they have tried therapy or medication and the perceived benefit was low, so they stopped treatment altogether. This lack of treatment results in a higher incidence of chronic anxiety conditions [1], further leading to a larger prevalence of anxiety, globally.

            U.S. Prevalence of Anxiety Symptoms

            According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 17.5% of the United States, or approximately 60 million Americans experienced anxiety symptoms from March 5, 2024 to April 1, 2024 [3]. Of these individuals with anxiety, the highest prevalence was determined in individuals who were 18-29 years old (31.5%), female (20.2%), and living in Montana (21.5%) [3]. 

            Prevalence Map From the CDC's Website

            How Do We Reduce Stigma and Support Anxiety?

            1. Education

            Educate those who are more likely to engage in stigmatization such as younger males and females in rural locations to enhance mental health literacy amongst the general population [1]. Awareness and general mental health knowledge can reduce stigmatization [1].
             

            2. Contact Hypothesis

            Exposure and positive interpersonal contact with individuals with mental illness can help improve attitudes, actions, and beliefs about a stigmatized individual or group [1]. Increased contact will shed light on the inconsistencies of mental health stereotypes leading to more accurate knowledge of mental health [1].
             

            3. Self-Disclosure

            Tell others you have anxiety. This helps reduce stigma, and also motivates the individual with mental illness to seek help [1]. Self-disclosure is also a form of self-advocacy to ask for the accommodations you need in certain working environments.
             

            4. Sick-Not-Weak

            Check out this movement to eliminate the weak-not-sick stigmatization of anxiety [4]!
             

            5. Parsing Out Your Personal Views

            Separate your own personal views from your perceived public attitudes toward anxiety. For example, thinking that people won't talk to you because you think they think you're crazy because of your anxiety, when those people don't actually believe that. This is your anxiety and self-stigma talking. If you internalize your perceived public attitudes toward anxiety, it can most likely lead to self-stigma, in which you could label yourself the way you believe others would label you [1].
             

            6. Check Your Own Potential Stigma

            No one wants to admit they might engage in some form of stigmatization. However, it is beneficial for us to know where we stand on these issues, so that we can correct any harmful beliefs or attitudes toward individuals who have mental illness. Visit this website to take the Generalized Anxiety Stigma Scale and compare your attitudes to the norm [2]!
             
            For more information on anxiety wellness, visit our blog!
             

            References:

            1. Curcio, C., & Corboy, D. (2020). Stigma and anxiety disorders: A systematic review. Stigma and Health, 5(2), 125. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000183
            2. Griffiths, K.M., Batterham, P.J., Barney, L. et al. The generalised anxiety stigma scale (GASS): psychometric properties in a community sample. BMC Psychiatry 11, 184 (2011). doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-11-184
            3. National Center for Health Statistics. (2024, March 21). Mental health - household pulse survey - covid-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/mental-health.htm
            4. #SickNotWeak: Mental Health Community - end the stigma canada. SickNotWeak. (2023, October 5). https://www.sicknotweak.com/
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