Stigma and Mental Health

It is estimated that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health difficulty, meaning we may all be affected in some way.

The stigma and discrimination associated with a significant mental health problem is, for some people, almost as difficult to manage as the experience of being unwell.

Stigma can act as a barrier to seeking support as people fear being labelled as mentally ill.
This can lead to feelings of isolation and make the experience of mental health difficulties much worse.
Psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression are seen as lifelong labels, which mark the person as different from the rest of society.
Research conducted in 2007, before See Change was established, showed that 6 in 10 people would not want anyone to know if they had a mental health difficulty.
10 years on, 4 in 10 people said they would conceal a mental health difficulty from family, friends or colleagues according to research See Change commissioned in 2017.
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