What is mental illness stigma?

Mental illness stigma is unfair beliefs about people with mental health challenges. This can lead to people having unfair and harmful attitudes towards people with mental health challenges.

Mental illness stigma includes stereotypes about people with mental health challenges. It also includes using labels that define a person based on an incomplete understanding of their mental illness or symptoms. Some examples of this are:

• assuming that a mental illness is always simple and obvious to others — someone may say 'you can't be depressed; you're so happy'
• assuming that a mental illness is not challenging or is not a real illness — someone may believe that a person with a mental illness can 'snap out of it'
• making fun of a person who seeks help for their mental health, or labelling them as weak
• labelling a person with a mental illness as 'crazy'
• assuming that people living with a mental illness are violent — someone may refer to a violent person as 'schizophrenic'

Mental illness stigma can lead to discrimination and prejudice against someone with a mental illness in their everyday life. This means they may be:

• viewed in a negative way
• treated differently
• isolated or excluded from things that are accessible to others
• made to feel ashamed or embarrassed about their mental illness

There are three different types of mental illness stigma:

• public stigma — when other people hold negative beliefs and attitudes about mental illness
• self-stigma — when a person has negative beliefs or attitudes about themselves
• structural stigma — when policies and culture unfairly treat people who have a mental illness

These different types of stigma can impact each other.

How does stigma affect people with mental illness?

All types of mental illness stigma can lead to discrimination and prejudice against a person with mental health challenges.

Experiencing stigma can be just as distressing as managing a mental health challenge.

Public stigma

Public mental health stigma can affect a person with mental health challenges in different settings, such as in:

• schools
• social settings
• workplaces
• health services

Here are some examples of the effects of public stigma:

• A student with mental health challenges may have less support, fewer friends and may not perform as well.
• A person with a mental health problem may be bullied or excluded from social groups.
• An employee with a mental illness may not be promoted due to assumptions about their skills.
• A person may avoid seeking the mental health care they need if their doctor has negative beliefs about mental illness.
• A person may feel isolated if their friends and family have negative beliefs about mental illness.
• A person may have difficulty seeking and getting help if their family or culture have stigma or feelings of shame about mental health issues.
• A person with a mental illness may be more likely to become a victim of violence due to prejudice.

Self-stigma

If you have a mental health challenge, dealing with stigma can lead to self-stigma and:

• poor self-esteem
• increased feelings of isolation
• worse symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts
• unhealthy coping mechanisms, like alcohol and drug abuse

Self-stigma might mean that:

• you are less likely to ask for support or get the help you need
• you are less likely to believe that getting support will help you
• your recovery is more difficult

Structural stigma

Structural stigma is when a person with a mental illness may not be able to access the support they need to function at their best, such as in:

• workplaces
• schools
• healthcare settings
• governments

For example, a person with a mental illness may miss out on housing.

Why does stigma exist?

Stigma happens because of a lack of understanding of mental illness. This can come from:

• misinformation — when someone learns incorrect information about mental illness
• ignorance — where someone is not interested in learning correct information about mental illness

Media plays a large part in strengthening stigma by:

• showing inaccurate stereotypes about people with a mental illness
• wrongly using metal health diagnoses to explain behaviours
• linking mental illness to criminal behaviour and violence

Despite stigma in media, research shows that people with mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence.

How can I deal with stigma?

If you have a mental illness, dealing with stigma can be difficult. It is important to remind yourself that you:

• deserve support
• deserve respect
• can live a fulfilling life

Don't let shame or fear of discrimination stop you from seeking help.

Here are some tips to deal with stigma:

• Remember that someone with a broken ankle is not a broken ankle — you are more than your illness.
• Remind yourself that it is not your fault that you experience mental illness and that there are plenty of other people who do too. You are not alone in this.
• Validate your experiences — discrimination often comes from people who don't understand mental illness. How they view your illness is not the same as your reality.
• Talk about mental illness — mental illness is common and is not a sign of weakness. Learn some useful facts and figures and tell people about it.
• Stand up to negative stereotypes and misinformation — set the record straight if you hear false or negative information.
• Join a support group — it can be useful to meet others with similar experiences to you. Support groups often have resources that can help educate family members and others about mental illness.
• Tell your story if you feel safe enough to do so — talking about your experiences can have a positive impact. It can also help you to stop feeling ashamed when it comes to your mental illness.

If you, or someone you know, is having suicidal thoughts and is in immediate danger, call triple zero (000). For help and support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

If you suffer from the effects of stigma, you can get support from:

• your family and friends
• your doctor
• a mental health professional such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor.

They can support your recovery and stand up for you against stigma.

You can read more about recovery and mental health.

How can I reduce stigma?

Everyone can help reduce mental illness stigma by:

• taking action
• getting educated
• reporting cases of stigma

If you are living with a mental illness, you should feel respected and accepted. You deserve the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.

To reduce stigma, you can:

• call out when negative stereotypes come up in conversation or in the media — you can speak up and educate people so that it is no longer accepted
• report examples of stigma you see in the media to SANE StigmaWatch
• be aware of your own attitudes towards people with mental illness, including self-stigma

Speak up if you see examples of discrimination or bullying. Discrimination against someone with mental health issues is against the law in Australia under the Disability Discrimination Act, including:

• in the workplace
• in places of education
• when using public services
• when renting or buying a house

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, there are ways you can support them. Think about the words you use when describing yourself or others. You can discourage negative self-talk. This means avoiding words that are:

• insensitive
• hurtful
• used to define a person by their condition

For example, if you or someone else has bipolar disorder, don't say 'I'm bipolar' or 'someone is bipolar'. Instead, say 'I have or live with bipolar disorder' or 'someone has or lives with bipolar disorder'.

You should also avoid using mental illnesses to describe how people act, no matter if they actually have those illnesses or not. This can feed negative stereotypes, make mental illness seem less challenging, and make it harder for people who have a mental illness to be taken seriously. If someone:

• is acting angrily, don't say 'they are being schizophrenic'
• is bothered by something or has particular habits like washing their hands often, don't say 'they are being OCD'
• is reminded of something unpleasant, don't say 'they have PTSD'

What is being done about mental illness stigma in Australia?

The National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy is a project by the Australian Government. The strategy aims to:

• reduce self-stigma in people with mental illnesses
• reduce public stigma by changing attitudes and behaviours towards people with mental illnesses
• work towards eliminating structural stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses

The strategy will involve things like:

• education for the public
• training for healthcare professionals
• development of mental health services

The strategy was created with advice, including from people living with mental illness, their carers and their family members.

You can read more about the strategy on the National Mental Health Commission website.

Resources and support

To learn more about how to deal with stigma and reducing stigma, visit SANE Australia. You can call the SANE Australia support line on 1800 187 263.

You can also report stigma by filling out an online report form or calling SANE StigmaWatch on (03) 9682 5933.

You can read more about stigma on the Black Dog Institute website. The Australian Government Comcare website also has information about mental health stigma in the workplace.

Visit the Beyond Blue website for information and support with anxiety and depression. You can also use their free, confidential counselling service online or call 1300 22 4636 .

If you speak a language other than English, visit the Embrace Multicultural Mental Health website for resources and support in multiple languages.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.