What you should know about stigma and discrimination

• Stigma keeps people from getting help. Of the one-in-four people living with a mental illness, fewer than half with serious illnesses seek treatment; and those who do expend considerable energy keeping their treatment a secret.
• Stigma leads to fear, mistrust, and violence. Even though the vast majority of people who have mental illnesses are no more violent than anyone else, the average television viewer sees a minimum of three people with mental illnesses each week-and most of them are portrayed as violent. Such inaccurate portrayals lead people to fear those who have mental illnesses.  In fact, people with mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent crimes.
• Stigma leads to discrimination
  • Stigma prevents people from getting good jobs and advancing in the workplace. Even after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), some employers are reluctant to hire people who have mental illnesses. This discrimination is illegal but still occurs.
  • Stigma keeps people from obtaining safe and fair housing. Many individuals try (and frequently succeed in) preventing people who have mental illnesses from living in their neighborhoods.
  • Stigma results in inadequate insurance coverage. Many insurance plans do not cover mental health services to the same degree as other illnesses. When mental illnesses are covered, coverage may be limited, inappropriate, or inadequate.

List adapted from information from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

What you can do about stigma and discrimination

• Learn more. Visit OpenMindsOpenDoors, MHAPA’s campaign to eliminate the stigma of mental illness and end discrimination against people living with all forms of it, for more information about stigma in the workplace and housing.
• Speak up and differently.
  • Avoid disrespectful language about any group of people.
  • Refer to the person, not the illness. “Sue lives with schizophrenia. She is not a schizophrenic.” Remember, mental illness is only a part of a person, just as heart disease or diabetes is for people living with these diseases.
  • Challenge stereotypes about mental illness in the media or among the people you know.
  • Encourage those you know who live with mental illness to share their stories.
  • Share your story.
  • Contact your elected officials and demand that discrimination against people living with mental illnesses be stopped.
• Listen. Listen to people who live with a mental illness. Learn how stigma impacts their day-to-day life and what they, like you, need to live a fulfilled life.
• Be fair and positive. Emphasize people’s abilities, not their limitations.