It is commonly known that there is a stigma surrounding mental illnesses. Multitudes of people around the world suffer from some type of mental disorder and the number only grows each year. Despite this great volume, not much is said in school or in mainstream media about mental health. It is a topic that most people shy away from. Many people in the public eye struggle silently with mental illnesses. It is frequently unknown what they are going through until it’s too late. Every time a well-known person looses their battle with a mental illness, people come forward and say that we have to start conversations and destigmatize mental health issues. However, people tend to fall silent immediately after; no one ever starts the conversation. One must ask how the stigmatization of mental health issues affects those with mental illnesses. From the perspective of someone who has witnessed many others struggle with mental health, it is imperative to understand why this stigma exists and how to reverse it. This research will allow me to learn how to start conversations with others about mental health, and spread more awareness. As most people are severely uninformed on the topic, this research would benefit most if not all, including those struggling with mental disorders, the friends and family of those people, and the authority figures in their lives. 

Before the stigmatization of mental illnesses can be explored, it must first be determined what exactly constitutes a mental disorder. According to the Mayo Clinic website, the term mental illness “refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.” According to the site, it is common for many people to have small or infrequent mental health concerns periodically, but a mental illness is something that persists over expansive amounts of time and “affects [one’s] ability to function.” Part of the issue with mental disorders is that they can be difficult to diagnose due to there being no strict normal behavior to compare it to. For example, a change in eating habits can be attributed to many things, including stress, physical illnesses or an eating disorder. Because there are no specific criteria, mental disorders can often go undiagnosed. 

This article provided many facts about mental disorders, including a brief overview and an in-depth explanation of what is considered a mental disorder and why. Due to the ambiguous nature of mental disorders, other psychologists or medical professionals could potentially disagree with the statements made in this article. There is no single author credited for this article, however the site describes their writing staff as “physicians, scientists and other medical experts” that contribute to the credibility of the website (Mayo Clinic). In addition, the University Writing Center at Appalachian State University has Mayo Clinic listed as a credible institution on their website.

The next step to understanding how the stigmatization of mental illnesses affects those who suffer from them is to understand exactly what the mental health stigma means. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines a stigma as “a mark of shame or discredit.” That applies heavily to the way people with mental disorders are often viewed. A recent study published by the Angelo State University Social Sciences Research Journal shows how being associated with a mental disorder can decrease a person’s trustworthiness in the eyes of another. An experiment was conducted to prove that “if a person has a psychiatric disorder and it is known publicly, that person is singled out, labeled and treated differently solely because of that disorder (Whitley).” In the experiment, a group of millennials were asked to study a group of pictures and then rate each person’s trustworthiness via a questionnaire. A separate group were given the same pictures, but with labels on each one describing different mental disorders. It was found that “those who viewed the pictures with the labels indicated greater stigma than those who viewed the pictures without labels (Whitley).” Based on the evidence provided in this article it is clear that there is a stigma associated with mental illnesses. 

This article is very adamant that there is stigma surrounding mental health issues, particularly in the millennial age group. Millennials, who generally consider themselves to be a rather progressive generation, might object to this conclusion. However, psychologists, mental health experts, and people with mental illnesses who have experienced the stigma firsthand would likely agree with the findings of this experiment.

This article was written by Richard Dillan Whitley, a graduate student at Angelo State University and a Mental Health Tech for River Crest Psychiatric Hospital. The author cited several credible sources that were used while completing his research and the Angelo State University Social Sciences Research Journal website only publishes credible writings. 

Now that it has been established that there is, in fact, a stigma associated with mental disorders, one must consider how that sigma effects the quality of life of those who are stigmatized. Not only can it make it more difficult for those individuals to socialize, find jobs and maintain a healthy sense of self-worth, “stigma associated with mental illness can delay or prevent help-seeking and service contact (Gronholm et al).” The fear of being stigmatized can prevent people from taking the necessary measures to care for themselves. Mayo Clinic provides a list of the harmful effects of stigma, including “reluctance to seek help or treatment, lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers or others, fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding housing, bullying, physical violence or harassment, health insurance that doesn't adequately cover your mental illness treatment, the belief that you'll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can't improve your situation (Mayo Clinic).” In an article on the Cambridge University Press website, writers explore how “stigma-related influences on pathways to care in the early stages of psychotic disorders” can negatively impact the lives of those who are affected (Gronholm et al). 

Because there is not an expansive amount of research on the subject, more would have to be done before psychologists and medical experts could disprove the results of this experiment. Most professionals in this field of study would likely agree with the finding, as it supports the common assumption that the mental health stigma decreases the quality of life of those it affects. There is no noticeable bias to be found in the article. It was published in the Psychological Medicine journal by the Cambridge University press, a reliable and upstanding source. The authors have collectively written eighty-two articles for the site and are being published along side many award-winning authors, including over 60 Nobel Prize Laureates. 

Those who are unaffected by the stigma often either don’t acknowledge it or refute its existence. A common misconception is that the recent increase in awareness of the stigma has resulted in a decrease of the negative effects. On the contrary, the acknowledgement of the stigmas existence paired with the lack of effort to counteract it has led to the self-stigma of mental illnesses. “Self–stigma is distinguished from perceived stigma (stereotype awareness) and presented as a three-level model: stereotype agreement, self–concurrence, and self–esteem decrement,” and can lead to severe self-esteem issues and depression (Corrigan et al).

 In addition, mental disabilities make it more difficult to support oneself. Although everyone has the right to work in safe and productive conditions, “For people with mental health problems, achieving this right is particularly challenging (Gabriel et al).” Opponents of this issue argue that “Employees’ mental health problems and their impact on enterprise productivity and medical costs are critical human resource issues. Increasingly, trade unions and employers’ organizations and government policy makers are realizing that the social and economic costs of mental health problems in the workplace cannot be ignored.” Mental health problems can undoubtabley impose a heavy burden when not properly accommodated. However, it is the job of employers, co-coworkers, and society as a whole to better educate themselves and seek a solution that appeases everyone. 

The negative effects of the stigma are not limited to adults in the workplace; students experience them as well. “Stigma directed at adolescents diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders by individuals in their interpersonal network likely undermines their wellbeing,” and sets them up for more negative experiences in the future (Moses). Studies show that with college students, “personal stigma was significantly and negatively associated with measures of help seeking (perceived need and use of psychotropic medication, therapy, and nonclinical sources of support),” which would only increase the harmful effects of their mental disability (Eisenberg). Due to the fact that a large amount of the issue stems from students feeling as if they are being judged, it can be concluded that “efforts to combat stigmatization of youth with mental health disorders must help family members, peers, and school staff overcome their inclinations to make negative assumptions and discriminate against these youth (Moses).”

This is a subject that many people care about, but few know how to discuss. Mental health stigma does not affect individuals; it affects society as a whole. At this point in time almost every person will suffer from some type of mental health issue at some point in their life, and those who don’t likely work closely with someone who will. This is an issue that effects each and every person whether they realize it or not. It is imperative that people become more educated on the subject, and start more conversations about mental health. Opening up discussions will lower the stigma and increase the quality of life of those who suffer from mental illnesses. 
