How does discrimination and stigma affect people with mental illness?

It hurts . . .: . . . And it adds additional burden to their lives. It's much the same as it affects the rest of us. For all of us, life is challenging enough without the additional burdens of stigma and discrimination.

Far reaching effects: The social stigma and discrimination also effect employability, disability services and disability health care and funding for survival, housing, etc. The laws still refer to people as 'mentally defective'. Diagnoses are not believed, behavior is judged as criminal or undesirable etc. A real problem is advocacy for the mentally ill. They really don't have a voice in changing the law.