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Chris Craig
Prof. Parry
English 2010
24 June 2022

Mental Health Stigmatization and its Consequences

Mental disorders have always been misunderstood throughout history. According to the

research paper by Holder et al. (2019) “Throughout history, people with mental health diagnoses

have been treated differently, excluded, and even characterized as demonic.” While modern

medicine and public awareness campaigns have dispelled the most extreme beliefs regarding

mental disorders, the stigmatization that surrounds mental disorders and those with mental issues

has always been present. While institutionalized stigma has been nearly eradicated in the United

States, with lunatic asylums being replaced with psychiatric hospitals, there will always be cases

of medical professionals or those with perceived medical credibility disgracing those with mental

disorders. It’s important to look at the underlying issue of stigmatization that is so consequential

towards those suffering from mental health issues.

One battle those suffering from mental disorders face is how they perceive themselves. Much

like the previous quote from Holder et al. (2019), the next article points towards stigmatization

consequences. Normally, when someone is diagnosed with a mental disorder, they’d prefer home

remedies over being admitted to a hospital (Allerdiena and Smith 1). Because of this, studies

showed that those treated at home felt more confident about their treatment than if they were

treated at a hospital. This is mostly due to their perception of their disorder. The thought of being
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treated at home like it’s a simple seasonal flu rather than being confined to a hospital and having

to follow a strict guideline while being monitored by the hospital staff in an unfamiliar

environment could show drastically different effectiveness in a patient undergoing medical

treatment. When treated at home, patients are more relaxed and more at ease with their situation.

This could prove that house treatment alongside prescribed medication is a better method of

treatment than if the patient were to spend weeks or even months confined in a hospital.

Having a positive mindset is important when combating mental illnesses. The article “Stigma in

Mental Health at the Macro and Micro Levels: Implications for Mental Health consumers and

Professionals” describes the causes, effects, and categories of mental health stigmatization. The

article provides more correlation from the previous article as to why stigmatization is so

damaging to those suffering from disorders. In the article, it explains that about 56% of

Americans who are diagnosed with a mental illness refuse to go in for treatment (Holder et al. 1).

While the costs, availability, and third-party coverage may contribute to this number, (Holder et

al. 1) one of the biggest contributions to this figure is the mental health stigmatization that is

inherent within society. Once again this proves the correlation between each claim that these

previous articles argue for. The perception that the individual has of themselves and how others

perceive them could make or break their recovery or cure from their mental disorder.

Mental health stigmatization can be categorized in several categories: Social Stigma, self-stigma,

professional stigma, and the macro and micro stigmas. Each are caused differently and have

varying negative effects (Holder et al. 2, 3). Mental Health stigma happens from individual

conversations, to the mass public perception surrounding mental disorders, and mental health in

general. Social stigma is a societal perspective on what is considered taboo in public. For

example, some occurrences of “stimming” or self-stimulatory behavior within neurodivergent

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communities is seen as weird or unnatural for those who are considered neurotypical. Self-

Stigma is when a diagnosed person views their mental disorder in a negative perspective.

(Holder et al. 2) Professional stigma arises when medical professionals or those with perceived

credibility in the medical field enforce stigmatization with their patients or those seeking medical

advice. Macro and micro stigmatization has to do with the levels of stigmatization. Micro

stigmatization would be more individual with mistreatment by friends, family, one’s own

perception, acquaintances, etc. While macro stigmatization encompasses the grand societal

stigmatization. Politicians, celebrities, media outlets, medical professionals, etc. (Holder et al. 4)

would all fit in that category.

The final article describes an active experiment among numerous other experiments on willing

participants that have shown the causes and effects of stigmatizing mental disorders and the

consequences that show the effects increase the severity of one’s recovery rate and mental health

situation. The results of one test (Clark Et Al. 1) showed that those who exhibited stigma towards

those suffering viewed help-seeking negatively. The results ultimately proved that stigmatization

among young adolescent boys was uncommon yet not completely impossible.

Mental disorders and illnesses are hard to understand fully even with modern technology, the

methods and symptoms regarding mental disorders are evolving with time and nobody is

absolutely sure what the best method for mental disorders are. However, overwhelming evidence

has proven that stigmatizing mental disorders does nothing but harm to those currently suffering

from mental disorders. This stigma has resulted in a majority of Americans refusing treatment

and preferring to act as there aren’t any issues with them. With all things considered, These

sources should show why it’s important to look at the underlying issue of stigmatization that is

so consequential towards those suffering from mental health issues.

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Citations

Holder, S.M., Peterson, E.R., Stephens, R. et al. Stigma in Mental Health at the Macro and Micro

Levels: Implications for Mental Health Consumers and Professionals.

Community Ment Health J 55, 369–374 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-

0308-y

Hubbeling, Allerdiena A., and Jared G. Smith. “At Home or in Hospital: Home Treatment and

Mental Health Stigma.” International Journal of Social Psychiatry, vol. 68, no. 4, June 2022, pp.

866–72. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1177/00207640211009558.

Clark, L.H., Hudson, J.L. & Haider, T. Anxiety Specific Mental Health Stigma and Help-

Seeking in Adolescent Males. J Child Fam Stud 29, 1970–1981 (2020).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01686-0