Different Types of Stigma

This video discusses the three common types of stigma related to mental illness: public stigma, self-stigma, and institutional stigma. It explains how these stigmas can lead to discrimination, self-deprecation, and unfair policies, and emphasizes the importance of recognizing and challenging these stigmas.

"Different Types of Stigma" Mental health stigma is when people view those with mental illness in a negative way. Researchers have identified three common types of stigma related to mental illness: public stigma, self-stigma, and institutional stigma. Public stigma involves the negative attitudes that society has about mental illness, which can lead to discrimination or unfair treatment. One example of public stigma is the misunderstanding that people with mental illnesses are dangerous, incompetent, or unpredictable, which is rarely true. We can also see public stigma reflected in the media when movies and TV shows portray those with mental illnesses as uncontrollable or unhinged. Because of public stigma, people with mental illnesses might get treated differently throughout their daily lives. For example, many employers may not hire them, and landlords may not rent to them. These are examples of discrimination. Self-stigma is when people with mental illness have negative beliefs about themselves because of their condition. This can show up in the form of harmful thoughts like, "I'm not as good as other people because I have a mental illness," or "I'm weak for needing help." One of the most common examples of self-stigma is feeling like you're a burden or that your family or friends would be better off without you. These kinds of negative thoughts can lower self-esteem, make it harder for people to talk to others about their struggles, and cause people to feel hopeless and alone. Self-stigma can be really damaging because it makes it harder for people to get the help they need. Some forms of self-stigma can even be life-threatening. Institutional stigma is when organizations like schools, hospitals, government, and companies have policies that make it harder for people with mental illnesses to be treated the same way as people without mental illness. This can show up in many different ways. Institutional stigma can include actions like government intentionally lowering funding for mental illness research, or company policies that discourage those with mental illness to apply for jobs. It is important to recognize and to challenge stigma so that people are treated equally and fairly, and those that need help can get it.