How to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health 

Over the last few years, there has been a focus on reducing the stigma around mental health. Supporters have sought to build a deeper understanding and awareness for those struggling, as well as challenging the broader response from society. The work to combat mental health stigma is still ongoing so we’ve outlined some ways you can help reduce it. 

Why is reducing mental health stigma important?

Research has proposed that mental health stigma is multi-dimensional in that it can manifest itself as: 

1. Ignorant beliefs or a lack of knowledge. For example, it was found that the majority of studies from a systematic review suggested that teachers’ Mental Health Literacy (their knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that aid their recognition, management or prevention), around childhood mental health conditions that weren’t Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) wasn’t very high. 
    
2. Negative attitudes or prejudice – stemming from feelings of dislike, fear or hatred, often based on incorrect assumptions and judgements. For instance, survey respondents’ perceptions of the likelihood of violence from those with mental disorders generally rose overtime from 1996-2018, especially when they were presented with a representation of someone with schizophrenia. This is despite most patients with schizophrenia not actually being violent.  
    
3. Discrimination or behaving in ways that disadvantaged the stigmatised person. Sadly, 88% of 500 people severely impacted by mental illness, including those diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder surveyed by charity Rethink Mental Illness reported feeling that discrimination towards people severely affected by mental illness was widespread in England.  

The survey above also highlights why reducing mental health stigma – in whatever form it takes – is so important, as 86% of respondents reported that the fear of being stigmatised or discriminated against prevented them from doing the things they wished to do, such as: 

• seeking help for a mental health problem (61%),  
• disclosing their mental health condition to friends or family (69%) or, 
•  applying for a job or promotion at work (61%). 

Notably, mental health stigma can be experienced alongside other types of stigmas associated with race, disabilities, sexual orientation and more, further worsening someone’s situation.

Self-stigma

Those struggling with their mental health can often feel isolated, and fearful of being judged if they seek help.   

When we think about the stigma around mental health, we often think about the opinion of others, and yet we can also trap ourselves by our own narrative. When struggling with our mental health, we can innocently believe stories we tell ourselves, which can stop us from speaking up. For example, believing we’re not worthy of help or that it’s our fault we feel the way we do. This self-stigma has been associated with being a barrier to recovery and can ultimately result in worsening mental health symptoms.  

How to reduce mental health stigma?

Although it’s been noted that increasing accurate knowledge about disrupted mental health may not necessarily improve attitudes or behaviour towards those experiencing it, there are things that can be done in different settings to reduce mental health stigma as outlined below: 

How to go about reducing mental health stigma in schools

• Host an assembly or series of assemblies in which different types of mental health conditions are covered, alongside tips on how pupils can maintain their mental health and healthy ways to de-stress, such as yoga and exercise.  
  
  
• Arrange a class which explores the mental health topics celebrities young people may look up to have discussed to normalise the concept of disrupted mental health and that mental health is only a fraction of who someone is – they have lots of skills to share and contribute to society regardless of their mental health.  
  
  
• Liaise with local mental health charities to train staff on how to approach mental health subjects with children or to hold workshops in schools.  Making time to have conversations to understand the fears we all have, such as the fears experienced by a person struggling with their mental health and the fears of those standing in judgement, can help gain an insight into what’s driving the lack of compassion – both the lack of self-compassion of the person struggling and the lack of compassion from those judging.   

How to reduce mental health stigma in the workplace

The Equality Act 2010 safeguards those regarded as having a mental health condition from being discriminated against at work, provided their disrupted mental health is classed as a disability. The charity Mind offers more guidance on this and trade unions may also assist in countering discrimination. Despite this, 52% of 3,599 UK survey respondents reported feeling unsupported by their employer between September 2020 and August 2021, when it came to mental health, highlighting the importance of the below: 

• Ensure all line managers have mental health training. Various organisations offer training packages, including Mental Health First Aid England. 
    
  
• Nurture a company culture that welcomes employee requests for screen breaks and a lunchtime break that allows them to fit in activities conducive to healthy wellbeing, like a walk in the fresh air or gym session.
    
  
• Spread the word about any employee assistance programmes (EAPs) your workplace offers to support staff with their mental health, such as access to free services to address mental-health conditions and substance-abuse issues via any internal communication channels your company has, for example, your company newsletter or general Teams or Slack channels.  
  
  
• Encourage teams to check in with one another in private messages, so it soon becomes ingrained in routine. This helps keep things confidential and you’ll be amazed at how appreciated a colleague asking someone how they’re feeling can be to someone feeling overworked.  

How to reduce mental health stigma when someone confides in you: 

If someone confides in you about their mental health, they’re placing you in a position of trust, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly. To reduce mental health stigma remember:

• Everyone is different and reacts to experiences differently. What you might take in your stride could seem like a real barrier to someone else. Keeping this in mind will minimise the chances of you being judgemental.  
  
  
• Listening should be your priority over providing advice. When you do respond, choose your words wisely. For example, saying, ‘thanks for sharing with me that you’re experiencing anxiety’ rather than ‘thanks for sharing with me that you’re anxious’ can imply you don’t think the person is their mental health condition, and suggests that some disrupted mental health may not be permanent. 
   
• To be empathetic – better education and campaigns may be the most common solutions to reducing the various stigmas surrounding mental health, but empathy is also important. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of someone else, being able to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what life must be like for them. The more understanding we are individually, the more empathetic we are as a society and the more likely people living with disrupted mental health are to speak out.  

How to reduce mental health stigma when you’re the one experiencing disrupted mental health:

• Talk to someone you trust. Doing so can help you gain a new perspective, provide you with advice, or simply feel lighter having shared what you’re experiencing rather than bottling it up. Should you feel like you don’t have anyone to confide in, there are organisations like Samaritans who you can call, anonymously if you like, for free anytime. Alternatively, your GP will be able to help and signpost you to other valuable support, such as the NHS talking therapies services and helplines.  
   
• Get curious about the true nature of thought. As highlighted above, we can sometimes fall into the trap of believing the thoughts in our head, which stop us from doing what we really want to do, for example, talking to someone. Yet, when we see the true nature of those thoughts, they no longer hold the same power.

We hope this can be a liberating concept for you: you’re in control of which thoughts you give meaning, power, and attention to. When you release an unhelpful thought, by choosing not to give it attention (without attention it cannot exist), you create an opportunity for a more helpful thought to take its place. The more you see thoughts for what they truly are, the easier it is to shift back to that calmer innate sense of mental peace we’re all born with. 

If you feel that your mental health is causing you serious distress, please contact your GP. You don’t need to suffer in silence.

Reviewed by:

Anna Keeble MA BA Head of Content and Wellbeing Expert

Dr Brian Fisher MBBch MBE MSc FRSA – Clinical Director

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