Is Stigma Really That Harmful?

• Is Stigma Really That Harmful?
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• How to Use 'I Feel' Statements to Improve Communication
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Quote About Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Stigma refers to an experience faced by many different people, including those living with mental health disorders. It happens when someone is judged negatively based on misinformation and characteristics incorrectly believed to be true. Experiencing stigma may mean that someone is excluded, denied opportunities, mocked, avoided, or shunned for reasons that have nothing to do with who they are at their core or all the many strengths and positive attributes they have.

Stigma hurts, but does it really cause actual, life-altering harm? Ongoing research over more than ten years and recently appearing in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology confirms that stigma is indeed harmful, reducing people’s sense of self-worth, increasing distress, and worsening symptoms.

Additionally, stigma has been scientifically shown to be a barrier preventing 35 percent of people experiencing serious mental illness and almost 90 percent of people with substance use disorders from seeking and/or receiving proper treatment. This, in turn, is directly associated with negative mental health outcomes.

An important first step, according to the study authors, is to change the language used when talking about mental illness and the people living with it. So much inaccurate and unscientific terminology is used that it is creating and perpetuating damaging stigma. It’s time to drop derogatory language, slang, and wording that describes people as their symptoms (“depressed” versus “experiencing depression, for example).

Recommended Video

Mental health stigma invades our conversations through the language we use. Language matters when talking about mental illness. Watch this.

Source

National Institutes of Health. (2019, July). Words matter: Language can reduce mental health and addiction stigma, NIH leaders say. Retrieved from https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/words-matter-language-can-reduce-mental-health-addiction-stigma-nih-leaders-say

Articles Related to Stigma

• Effective Communication Is Important When Combating Stigma
• It’s Okay to Get Mad About Mental Health Stigma
• How to Fight Depression Stigma
• Mental Health Stigma and Intimate Relationships
• The Stigma of Bipolar in Relationships
• Does Suicide Stigma Look Different for Men and Women?
• Am I Doing Enough to Fight Mental Health Stigma?
• Can the Physical Symptoms of Mental Illness Stop Stigma?
• Why I Don’t Talk About My Anxiety A Lot
• How Tennis Highlighted Mental Health Stigma in Sports
• Stand Up for Mental Health Campaign

Today's Question: What do you think would be helpful in reducing stigma? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.

------------------------------------------------------------------

From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• How to Do Things When Anxiety or Depression Get in Your Way
• Risk Factors for Mental Illness in Children
• How I Dealt with an Anxiety Spiral Caused by My Broken Laptop
• 8 Ways to Gain the Upper Hand on Health Stress and Anxiety
• Hurting Yourself to Get Out of Work or School
• How My Newborn Niece Helps My Schizoaffective Disorder
• Understanding the Iceberg Theory of Behavior
• Mental Health Stigma Lives Beyond the Moment of Stigma
• Living with a Victim Mentality with Borderline PD
• Addressing Self-Harm Wrist Scars: What Not to Do
• Having a Hard Conversation: 7 Tips to Try
• Anxiety Limits Me, But I'm Okay with It
• What Is an Anxiety Flare-Up? and How to Handle It
• Each Verbal Abuse Story Is Unique
• Lack of Motivation in Depression Is Not a Personal Flaw
• Confidentiality When Discussing Another's Mental Illness
• How Biphobia Hurts My Mental Health
• No, Your Friends Can't Be Your Therapist
• 5 Ways to Avoid Saying Something You'll Regret
• When Anxiety Stops You from Moving Forward
• Anxious? How to Survive the First 5 Minutes of Anything
• Boundaries Are Crucial in Eating Disorder Recovery
• Can Children Outgrow ADHD?
• Gut Problems Can Cause Anxiety: Role of the Gut-Brain Axis

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

------------------------------------------------------------------

From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

You've heard that 'I feel' statements are good to use in tough conversations, but how do you use them? Find out here: Watch.

Subscribe to the HealthyPlace YouTube channel

------------------------------------------------------------------

Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Tips for Creating a Self-Harm Prevention Strategy
2. Going to the Renaissance Faire with Schizoaffective Disorder
3. How Retreating Into Fantasy Can Help You Deal With Reality

If you're not already, I hope you'll like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote About Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

“There is no timestamp on trauma. There isn't a formula that you can insert yourself into to get from horror to healed. Be patient. Take up space. Let your journey be the balm.”

Read more PTSD Quotes.

------------------------------------------------------------------

That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. Please share the newsletter on any social network you belong to. For updates throughout the week, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or follow us on Instagram.

Thank you,
Deborah

Community Partner Team
HealthyPlace.com - America's Mental Health Channel
"When you're at HealthyPlace.com, you're never alone."
http://www.healthyplace.com