Self-Stigma, Perceived Stigma, and Help-Seeking Communication in People with Mental Illness

Abstract

People with mental illness (PWMI) often internalise negative beliefs (self-stigma) or anticipate external sources of stigma (perceived stigma). This study examines how the two types of stigma affect the willingness to communicate for help – such communication is a vital aspect of good patient care and treatment outcome. Seventy-two participants from different ethnic backgrounds who had experienced mental illness responded to an online survey about their level of agreement with statements reflecting self- and perceived stigma and their willingness to disclose to various help sources. Face-to-face interviews with 17 of these respondents provided a deeper understanding of how stigma affected their help-seeking communication. The quantitative results seemed to suggest that self-stigma has a stronger negative correlation with willingness to seek help. Respondents preferred disclosing to friends above family members and health professionals. The results highlight the importance of building resilience to reduce self-stigma and thereby increase help seeking. Given the different ethnic backgrounds of the participants, there emerged some multicultural issues that would seem to contribute to persisting mental illness stigma. These and any cultural differences are discussed.

Stigma in youth with Tourette’s syndrome: a systematic review and synthesis

“…Nevertheless, by studying the articles providing narratives of individuals with TS, the concept of stigma or the components of it emerge [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. It should be noted, however, that the perceived public stigma in the reports of individuals with TS may also reflect and be influenced by self-stigma depression, anxiety [5] or anticipated rejection [57].…”

Experiences with stigmatization among transgender individuals after transition: A qualitative study in the Netherlands

“…Another stigma variant is anticipated stigma which refers to individuals’ expectations of a stigmatizing experience and the belief that others assign negative attributes to them (Quinn & Chaudoir, 2009 ; Teh et al., 2014 ). Anticipated stigma, also termed “felt” stigma (Herek et al., 2009 ; Scambler, 2004 ), is the fear of enacted stigma and anxiety related to being associated with a stigmatized group.…”

“…Anticipated stigma, also termed “felt” stigma (Herek et al., 2009 ; Scambler, 2004 ), is the fear of enacted stigma and anxiety related to being associated with a stigmatized group. Anticipated stigma can motivate the use of self-presentation strategies to avoid stigmatization (Chaudoir & Quinn, 2016 ; Scambler, 2009 ; Teh et al., 2014 ). It can also lead to concealment, resulting in social identity denial and social isolation (Herek et al., 2009 ; Kosciw et al., 2015 ; Teh et al., 2014 ).…”

Knowledge of mental health legislation in Ghana: a case of the use of certificate of urgency in mental health care

“…Even though there are legislative instruments that cater for persons with mental illness which are in the form of Mental Health Acts, there is continuous discrimination and stigma against persons with mental illness [ 8 , 9 ]. Also, many countries do not consider mental health care as a vital component of public health care [ 10 ].…”