Mental Health Awareness

Stigma

Stigma can be defined as “a set of negative beliefs and prejudices about a group of people, as well as negative behaviours towards groups of people.”1 

It is important to be aware of stigma and challenge it because according to the Mental Health Commission, “60% of people with a mental health injury won’t seek out the help they need due to the stigma associated with being labelled mentally ill.”2

If we are going to better understand those with mental health injuries, we need to transform our thinking from:

“What is wrong with this person?” to “What has happened to this person and how can I be of help?”