What is the stigma of mental health?

Lack of understand'g: It's unfortunate that there is a stigma about having mental illness, particularly depression and anxiety. This is probably due to a lack of understanding as well as not having objective findings to confirm a diagnosis. For example, a diabetic patient will have abnormalities in their blood sugar, but a depressed patient has no laboratory findings, yet they are both due to chemical imbalances.

Fear: Humans tend to fear what they don't understand. Years ago there was a stigma to being in a wheelchair and to cancer. The more people have learned about these things the faster the stigma went away.

Stigma Still Present: Mental health has carried a negative stigma for centuries. I believe this stigma, which continues today, is due to ignorance and lack of treatment. With mental illness there are no broken bones, no blood, nothing visible. If you can't see it it doesn't exist. Treatment with medications and widespread use of psychotherapy just started in the 1950's. We must educate to combat this stigma.

Superstition: Part of the stigma of mental illness is the retention of superstitious beliefs that associate it with demons & possession. Education is imperative for people to realize mental illness is due to chemical imbalances or faulty wiring in the central nervous system.

Stgma kills: Stigma means that the public view of mental illness is seen as weakness or imaginary. Often people with mental illness do not seek treatment or get inadequate treatment because of the stigma. The lack of treatment and the embarassment of needing treatment can increase hopelessness and increases the incidence of suicide.