What Does Stigma Lead To?
Stigmatization of people with mental disorders has persisted throughout history. It is manifest by bias, distrust, stereotyping, fear, embarrassment, anger, and/or avoidance. Stigma leads others to avoid living, socializing or working with, renting to, or employing people with mental disorders, especially severe disorders such a s schizophrenia (Penn & Martin, 1998; Corrigan & Penn, 1999). It reduces patients’ access to resources and opportunities (e.g., housing, jobs) and leads to low self-esteem, isolation, and hopelessness. It deters the public from seeking, and wanting to pay for care. In its most overt and egregious form, stigma results in outright discrimination and abuse. More tragically, it deprives people of their dignity and interferes with their full participation in society. The Stigma that envelops mental illness deters people from seeking treatment. Stigma impedes people from seeking help for fear that the confidentiality of their diagnosis or treatment will be breached.
