BREAKING THE STIGMA OF MENTAL HEALTH
ESSENTIAL FACTS:
- The world is currently experiencing an all-time rise in mental health issues, highlighting the need for mental health education.
- In 2021, 13.9% of the global population experienced mental disorders, with rates reaching 23% in developed countries.
- Mental health is a positive state where a person thrives in a community, free from psychiatric illnesses.
- Negative attitudes about mental illness create a stigma that leads to shame, isolation and discrimination. .
- Evidence suggests that stigmatization in healthcare system is harmful, and employing anti-stigma techniques is crucial.
- The stigma surrounding mental illness, especially among men, hinders access to support services.
WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?
World Health Organization defines mental health as:
‘’A state of well-being in which every individual realizes their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community’’.
WHY DO WE NEED MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS?
In the 2021 review, stigma is described as a negative perception surrounding mental illness, resulting in individuals feeling isolated or excluded from different aspects of society. Recognizing this concept emphasizes the need to cultivate acceptance and inclusion in order to counter peer pressure and encourage everyone's participation.
Help-seeking is only possible after gaining considerable awareness about how and when to obtain external support for addressing a mental health concern. It involves both formal sources, such as health professionals, and informal sources, like friends and family. It's practical to learn self-help strategies and first-aid skills to assist others with empathy, especially in stress and self-harm.
ROLE OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN MENTAL HEALTH:
Disgrace and shame about mental health disorders perpetuated by healthcare workers is not only a societal issue but also a critical factor that can undermine effective diagnosis, treatment, and ultimately, the health outcomes of our patients.
A 2022 study reveals that individuals with mental health disorders often seek medical treatment in healthcare settings other than mental health facilities. It is crucial to deliver successful anti-stigma education and strategies to reduce the stigma of mental health disorders among healthcare professionals. Anti-stigma initiatives can enhance mental health professionals' attitudes and foster recovery-oriented practices in their work.
WHY ARE MEN RELUCTANT TO SEEK HELP?
Stigma, which is deeply rooted in dominant notions of masculinity, has significant societal implications. It consists of values created by men in power that serve to exclude others, consider help-seeking as a weakness, and reinforce gender inequality. It reflects the toxic behaviors associated with being a man in a position of authority and highlights the complex relationship between men's identity, bullying, and patriarchy.
Research in 2024 highlights a big problem: there aren't enough programs to reduce mental health stigma, especially for men. Also, it's unclear what methods are used to create these programs. Therefore, it is crucial to actively promote psychoeducation and challenge unhelpful masculine norms and stereotypes to make it easier for everyone to seek support during testing times (e.g: anxiety, depression, panic etc)
WAYS TO END THE MENTAL HEALTH STIGMA:
A 2020 review of 90 studies on effectively breaking barriers and facilitating mental wellness suggests that:
- Negative beliefs towards mental health services and professionals often create stigma.
- Previous positive experiences with health services and mental health literacy are significant health facilitators.
- Most interventions are based on psychoeducation, often through social media, focusing on understanding mental illness.
- Social contact consistently emerged as a practical approach for shifting attitudes diminishing the fear of being judged.
- Self-stigma is reduced through education and mindfulness techniques that help reframe thought patterns and behaviours.
A WORD FROM MENTAL NURTURING:
The Public Health Agency of Canada states positive mental health as:
‘’The capacity of each and all of us to feel, think, and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face. It is a positive sense of emotional and spiritual well-being that respects the importance of culture, equity, social justice, interconnections, and personal dignity’’.
The evidence of pessimistic attitudes towards mental illness persists all over the world, including in mental health professionals, leading to stigma formation. We need to focus on emotional intelligence, which promotes knowledge of obtaining and maintaining good mental health. We can counter stigmatization by building self-awareness and acting in specific ways that strengthen our resilience.
Anti-stigma initiatives, such as education and training, facilitate openness about mental health concerns, enhancing positive attitudes toward mental illness. Most interventions occur in an educational setting; however, it is vital to consider the population suffering outside the educational system. With strong leadership, sustained effort, and reinforcement, we can create workplace cultures prioritizing stigma-free environments, empowering us to make a positive change.
RESOURCES:
● Nobre J, Oliveira AP, Monteiro F, Sequeira C, Ferré-Grau C. Promotion of Mental Health Literacy in Adolescents: A Scoping Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 9;18(18):9500. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189500. PMID: 34574427; PMCID: PMC8470967.
● Zayts-Spence O, Edmonds D, Fortune Z. Mental Health, Discourse and Stigma. BMC Psychol. 2023 Jun 12;11(1):180. doi: 10.1186/s40359-023-01210-6. PMID: 37308939; PMCID: PMC10259033.
● Heney DB. Solving for stigma in mental health care. J Eval Clin Pract. 2022 Oct;28(5):883-889. doi: 10.1111/jep.13735. Epub 2022 Jul 9. PMID: 35809228.
● Zweifel P. Mental health: The burden of social stigma. Int J Health Plann Manage. 2021 May;36(3):813-825. doi: 10.1002/hpm.3122. Epub 2021 Feb 16. PMID: 33591577.
● Raj CT. The effectiveness of mental health disorder stigma-reducing interventions in the healthcare setting: An integrative review. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2022 Aug;39:73-83. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2022.03.005. Epub 2022 Mar 24. PMID: 35688548.
Written by:
Dr.Saba Munir, MBBS,
On March 18, 2025
