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Partner Agency of
Mental Health America Virginia
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Stamping Out Stigma
Ten things you can do to fight stigma and
discrimination:
- Learn more about mental illnesses, to become more informed.
- Listen to people who have experienced mental illness-how they have been
stigmatized, how it affected their lives.
- Watch your language-avoid terms and expressions that can perpetuate
stereotypes, such as 'lunatics', 'nuts' or 'schizophrenic'.
- Monitor media and report stigmatizing material to groups such as the
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Stigma
Busters
- Respond to stigmatizing material in the media. Protest such material
to those responsible-journalists, editors, advertisers, movie producers - and
provide more appropriate information.
- Speak up about stigma. When someone misuses a psychiatric term (such
as 'schizophrenic'), tells a joke that ridicules mental illness or makes
disrespectful terms, let them know you find it hurtful and unacceptable.
- Talk openly about mental illness. The more mental illness remains
hidden, the more people will continue to believe it is shameful
- Demand change from your elected representatives. Speak up on issues
such as insurance parity, limited funding for research and inadequate budgets
for mental health services.
- Support organizations that fight stigma and discrimination. Join
them, donate money to them and volunteer for them.
- Contribute to research related to mental illness and stigma.
Source: Adapted from Telling is Risky Business: Mental
Health Consumers Confront Stigma, by Otto Wahl, Rutgers University Press, 1999
Obtained from Schizophrenia Digest, Spring 2003
Stigma Watch
National Mental Health Association
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Stamping Out Stigma
10 things YOU can do to fight stigma and discrimination
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