Posted: November 14th, 2023

Mental Health Stigma and its Impact on Help-seeking Behaviors: Addressing Barriers to Care

Mental Health Stigma and its Impact on Help-seeking Behaviors: Addressing Barriers to Care

Mental health stigma is a complex phenomenon that can affect people’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviors towards those who experience mental health problems. Stigma can also influence the willingness and ability of people to seek professional help for their mental health issues, resulting in delayed or avoided treatment, reduced quality of life and increased social isolation. This blog post aims to explore the impact of mental health stigma on help-seeking behaviors, the factors that contribute to stigma, and the possible interventions that can reduce stigma and promote access to care.

What is mental health stigma?

Mental health stigma can be defined as “the negative attitudes and beliefs that motivate the general public to fear, reject, avoid and discriminate against people with mental illnesses” (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). Stigma can be divided into two main types: public stigma and self-stigma. Public stigma refers to the prejudice and discrimination that people with mental health problems face from others in society, while self-stigma refers to the internalization of negative stereotypes and the loss of self-esteem and self-efficacy that people with mental health problems experience (Corrigan et al., 2006).

How does mental health stigma affect help-seeking behaviors?

According to a systematic review by Clement et al. (2015), mental health stigma has a small- to moderate-sized negative effect on help-seeking for mental health problems. The review identified four main processes that underlie the relationship between stigma and help-seeking:

– Lack of knowledge: People may not recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health problems, or may not be aware of the available treatment options and resources.
– Lack of perceived need: People may not perceive their mental health problems as serious or requiring professional attention, or may believe that they can cope on their own or with informal support.
– Fear of disclosure: People may be reluctant to disclose their mental health problems to others, such as family, friends, employers or health professionals, due to the anticipation of negative reactions, such as rejection, ridicule, discrimination or loss of status.
– Anticipated or experienced discrimination: People may avoid or delay seeking professional help for their mental health problems due to the expectation or experience of being treated unfairly or differently by others, such as being denied opportunities, services or rights.

What are the factors that contribute to mental health stigma?

Mental health stigma is influenced by various factors at different levels, such as individual, interpersonal, organizational and societal factors. Some of the factors that contribute to mental health stigma are:

– Lack of awareness and education: People may have limited or inaccurate information about mental health problems, their causes, consequences and treatments, leading to misconceptions, stereotypes and myths.
– Lack of contact and exposure: People may have little or no direct or indirect contact with people who have mental health problems, resulting in a lack of familiarity, empathy and understanding.
– Media representation and influence: People may be exposed to negative or sensationalized portrayals of people with mental health problems in the media, such as news, entertainment or social media, reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices.
– Cultural norms and values: People may adhere to certain cultural norms and values that shape their attitudes and beliefs about mental health problems, such as religious beliefs, moral judgments, gender roles or expectations.

What are the possible interventions that can reduce mental health stigma and promote access to care?

There are various interventions that can target different aspects of mental health stigma and help-seeking behaviors, such as:

– Psychoeducation: This involves providing accurate and relevant information about mental health problems, their causes, consequences and treatments, to increase knowledge, awareness and understanding among the general public or specific groups (e.g., students, teachers, parents).
– Contact: This involves facilitating direct or indirect contact between people with and without mental health problems, such as through personal stories, testimonials or role models, to increase familiarity, empathy and acceptance.
– Empowerment: This involves enhancing the self-esteem and self-efficacy of people with mental health problems, such as through peer support, advocacy or recovery-oriented services, to reduce self-stigma and increase help-seeking.
– Advocacy: This involves challenging the discrimination and injustice that people with mental health problems face in society, such as through policy change, legal action or social movement, to reduce public stigma and improve access to care.

Conclusion

Mental health stigma is a significant barrier for people seeking professional help for their mental health problems. However, there are various interventions that can address this issue and improve the mental health outcomes of individuals and communities. By increasing knowledge, awareness and understanding; promoting contact, empathy and acceptance; enhancing self-esteem and self-efficacy; and challenging discrimination and injustice; we can reduce mental health stigma and promote access to care.

References

Corrigan PW & Watson AC (2002) Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry 1, 16–20.

Corrigan PW, Druss BG & Perlick DA (2014) The impact of mental illness stigma on seeking and participating in mental health care. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 15, 37–70.

Clement S, Schauman O, Graham T, Maggioni F, Evans-Lacko S, Bezborodovs N, Morgan C, Rüsch N, Brown JSL & Thornicroft G (2015) What is the impact of mental health-related stigma on help-seeking? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies. Psychological Medicine 45, 11–27.

OSCOLA citation format:

Corrigan PW and Watson AC, ‘Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness’ (2002) 1 World Psychiatry 16

Corrigan PW, Druss BG and Perlick DA, ‘The impact of mental illness stigma on seeking and participating in mental health care’ (2014) 15 Psychological Science in the Public Interest 37

Clement S and others, ‘What is the impact of mental health-related stigma on help-seeking? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies’ (2015) 45 Psychological Medicine 11

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