Mental illness has treated like a dirty secret for thousands of years, causing people to be shunned and isolated.  Mental illness fairly common among the human population.  Only in the last several decades has it been getting respect as a treatable condition worthy of medical and professional attention.  Stigma interferes with people stepping forward to get the treatment they need.  The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) works to create awareness every year during National Mental Illness Awareness Week. 

Stigma Keeps People From Getting Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

Stigma is a bad image or association made with something or someone.  The stigma surrounding mental illness says “You are worthless and crazy if you admit you have a problem,” or “You aren’t worth helping,” and even, “Don’t tell - no one would believe you anyway.”  The potential embarrassment from others’ reactions is often what keeps people with a mental illness isolated and tight lipped. 

What if they say unkind things to you?  What if they don’t respect or love you anymore?  Could you lose your job because someone thinks you can’t hold your life together?  These may sound like extreme examples, but they’re not.  The stigma surrounding mental illness is so powerful that many people with a mental illness would rather suffer longer than risk rejection or more emotional pain from the negative reactions of others. 

People With Dual Diagnosis Get A Double Whammy of Stigma

As if it’s not difficult enough to deal with a mental illness, imagine the stigma of having an addiction on top of it.  You are doubly cursed, crazy and a drunk, a druggie and nutcase - the list could get worse from here.  Mental illness and addiction are sometimes judged by others as stemming from a permanent character flaw.  People with these kinds of problems are just losers or defective in some way, the dredge of society. 

Of course, it’s much easier to point the finger when it’s directed away from you.  Having a drug addiction and serious depression or anxiety may be too much for some non-affected people to comprehend clearly.  It sounds so horrible and all-engulfing, so they distance themselves from it. 

Mental illness and addiction may illicit negative reactions of pity, disgust, superiority, rejection, name-calling, cruel jokes, fear, mistrust, and many more.  When someone is uninformed (or worse, poorly informed), biased against people with challenges, or not very empathetic, these negative reactions are more likely to occur.

Erode The Stigma of Mental Illness to Help Your Community

Each individual develops their own beliefs on mental illness and drug addiction, including any stigma against them.  That means you have the power to challenge and expand your understanding of mental illness.  As more people understand the truth about mental illness and addiction, the stigma can be lessened.  One day, starting drug rehab or mental illness counseling could become as acceptable as getting treatment for a heart condition or cancer.